Happily Ever After
by bookwormatheart
Summary: Years have passed since Troy and Gabriella graduated from East High. Now Ella, Troy's daughter, is in highschool and uncovering secrets from her Dad's past. With first loves, old arguments, and, of course, music, will there be a happy ending?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Hey! Thanks for checking out my story. This is my first fanfiction ever, so please remember I'm new to this! Please review, I'd love to hear your opinions. I don't own Highschool Musical or any of the songs or song lyrics from the movies. I do own Ella though! :)_

I don't believe in fairy tales. Or, at least, I didn't. Until one day, not so long ago, when I came face to face with the beginning of my story, that would end in happily ever after. But I didn't know it then. No, then "happily ever after" was the farthest thing from my mind. I had bigger problems. My name is Ella Bolton, and this is the story of of my real life fairytale...

"Ella?" The sound of my name cut through the hazy mist of sleep and I opened my eyes. Blinking, I sat up in bed, then looked at my dad who was standing in the doorway. "It's almost time to go sweetheart. I think you overslept."

"Wha-?" I mumbled, then glanced at the clock. Nine forty-five. Did I have to go to school? No, it was summer break. Why was my dad waking me up? Then it hit me. Drama practice!

"Dad! Why didn't you wake me sooner?" Leaping out of bed I didn't even wait to hear his answer before I said, "Ready in ten! Now leave please so I can change!" I heard my dad chuckle before I slammed the door and raced to my closet.

Ten minutes later I sprinted out of the bathroom where I had just brushed my teeth and hurriedly brushed my hair back into a slightly sloppy braid. Standing in front of the mirror in my room I quickly applied some mascara and eyeliner, and then a thin coat of lipgloss. I did a quick check in the mirror and smiled at the results. My orange hoodie and ripped jeans looked casual and cool at the same time. My hair wasn't the greatest, but it would have to do. Quickly I grabbed my script from it's place on my desk and slipped it into my incredibly large purse. I never understood those people who carried those tiny handbags. Where did they put everything they needed?

Finally, I opened my jewelry box and picked up my golden locket with "Love" inscripted on the front in old fashioned letters. It had been a present from my dad on my tenth birthday and since that day I had worn it almost constantly.

I quickly fastened the necklace around my neck and walked out into the living room. "Ready!" I said. My dad put down the newspaper he had been reading, and smiled at me, his blue eyes twinkling.

"You look lovely sweetheart." He came over and kissed me on the top of my head. I smiled up at him. Most teenage girls would probably be embarrassed when their dads said stuff like that to them, but my dad and I had always had a special relationship. It might have something to do with my mom dying when I was just a baby. We were all eachother had.

"Thanks. But we really gotta go now!" I bounced from one foot to the other, something I did when I was really excited.

He laughed. "Okay, okay I get the message! Let's go."

"Okay!" I ran out the door and was standing by the car before my dad had left the house. He laughed as he locked the door.

"Excited much?"

I grinned. "Very." As we both climbed into the car I continued, "I just love acting. I know that sounds kind of dorky, but I think I always will. It's kind of a part of me."

"Trust me darling, I get that." My dad started the car and pulled away from the curb. "Back when I was in highschool I loved singing. I was a jock, so most of my friends were pretty shocked when they found out I had auditioned for the school musical. I was actually pretty surprised myself."

"Well what made you do it then?"

"Like I said, I really loved it. Plus, there was this girl..."

"Oh, I get it now." I smiled. "Was she pretty?"

"Yeah she was...gorgeous." I looked over as he shook his head. "We were... close, I guess you could say. For awhile anyway."

There was something about my dad's eyes, which looked as if they were reliving very vivid memories, that made me speak in almost a whisper. "What happened?"

"Life happened." For a minute everything was quiet. Then he smiled and cleared his throat. "But everything worked out right? I married your mother and I got a beautiful daughter."

"Right." I said quietly. But I couldn't help but think there was something that my dad wasn't telling me.

"Well here we are!" My dad sounded almost too cheerful as we pulled up to the old theater where I had my acting classes. "Have a good day Ella."

"You too Dad. Bye!"

"Bye!"

I grabbed my purse, jumped out of the car, and headed for the door.

"Hey did you hear what happened to Miss Adams?" My friend Nate said as we all sat in the theater seats talking.

"No, what?" Miss Adams was our acting teacher and had been preparing a special project for us to perform at the end of the summer. I had noticed she wasn't here. I hoped nothing bad had happened to her. "Did she get hurt or something?"

"No, no, nothing like that. She got a supporting role in a brand new Broadway show!"

"No freaking way!" I couldn't believe it. "That's so amazing for her! What show?"

"It's called Out of the Blue. It's about an angel who comes down to visit earth or something like that."

"Sounds cool. But wait..." my heart sank, "does that mean no more acting classes?"

"No, Kelly was supposed to get a replacement."

"Oh." I glanced over at Kelly, the assistant acting coach who was talking to a group of students a few rows away. "I hope she made a good decision."

Nate nodded. "Me too."

At that moment Kelly walked up on stage and clapped her hands. "Hey everyone! So as I'm sure you all know by now, Miss Adams will no longer be teaching this summer program." Mixed groans and whispers ran through the group. "But never fear, I've found an excellent replacement. She just moved here from California and will be working as a math teacher _and _a drama teacher at East High School in the fall." I smiled. East High School was where both Nate and I attended school. Kelly continued, "Please welcome... Miss Montez!"

A pretty woman with black hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin walked onstage. She smiled at all of us. "Hi everyone! I know it must be a little strange for you all to suddenly get a new acting coach, but I hope we can all still work together to make this coming performance a great one. And with that I'd like to make another announcement. I can now reveal that this entire group is going to be perfoming in Cinderella: The Musical! The play will be the last two weekends in August so we don't have much time to get this together. But I have faith in all of you and I know we're going to have a great time! Auditions will be held in three days right here, same time. Please prepare a short piece from the script and a song. Kelly will pass out the scripts to you as you leave today so make sure you get one before you head home! Thank you!"

Kelly took Miss Montez's place onstage again. "Alright everybody, I know you all have scenes to perform, so get with your scene partners and wait your turn."

In the confusion that followed, Nate whispered to me, "Ella, you have to try out for Cinderella. You'd be perfect for that role. I mean, even your real name fits."

"Uhhh, I'm not so sure about that." I bit my lip nervously. "I don't really...uh... sing, that much."

"Well at least think about it. I know you could do it." Nate smiled at me and I smiled back a little reluctantly.

"Okay, I'll think about it.."

I was getting ready to leave at the end of class when I felt someone touch my shoulder. I turned to see Miss Montez smiling at me. "Oh, hi." I smiled back at her.

"Hello.. Ella isn't it? That's a beautiful name."

"Yes, it's Ella. Ella Bolton. It's nice to meet you." I offered her my hand. "And thanks."

Miss Montez's smile vanished for a minute as she shook my hand. "Did you say your last name was Bolton?"

"Uhh yeah. I know it's not as pretty as Ella..." I laughed nervously at my own joke, wondering why she suddenly looked so sad.

"Oh, no it's fine. It's just that...," for a moment she seemed lost in thought, then her smile reappeared, "I knew someone with that same last name when I was in highschool."

"Oh." I smiled awkwardly. "Did you not like her or something?"

"Actually it was a him. And why would you say that?"

"You just looked kind of upset there for a minute. I hope I didn't say something wrong..."

"Oh! No sweetie you're fine! He was an old boyfriend of mine, that's all."

"Oh, I see." I really didn't, but I smiled anyway.

"Anyway," Miss Montez cleared her throat. "I just came over to tell you you did an excellent job on your scene. You're a very talented young actress."

"Thanks! It helps a lot though when you're working with your best friend." I glanced over at Nate, who was watching us talk. I smiled at him and he waved. Miss Montez waved back.  
>"Have you been friends with him for a long time?"<p>

"Well, since the sixth grade. Some guy in my homeroom was bullying me and one day Nate just turned around and punched the guy in the nose! Then when the kid jumped on Nate I nearly tore his hair out. We both got detention that day, but we've been best, best, best friends ever since!" I laughed at the memory.

"Aww, that's sweet. Well anyway, the real reason I came over to talk to you is that from what I've seen today, I think you could be an excellent Cinderella."

"Really?" I flushed with pleasure. "Thanks... but I don't think so."

Miss Montez blinked, surprised. "Why not?"

"I don't really sing... and since it's a musical... I don't know, I think maybe I should just be hanging out in the chorus for this one. Where no one can hear me screeching."

"Have you ever sung in front of anyone?"

"Well, once..." I blushed and Miss Montez gave me a strange look. "I know this is going to sound like I'm a total wimp, but I tried to sing a solo in my church choir once. One minute I was looking at the audience, about to sing. The next moment I was staring at the ceiling." I laughed, then glanced down at my shoes, still a little embarrassed by the memory.

I looked up to find Miss Montez staring at me. "Did that really happen to you?"

"Yeah." I blushed again. "I know, I'm a loser."

"No, no, no. I wasn't thinking that. It's just the exact same thing happened to me when I was about your age."

"Really? That's weird!"

"Yes, it is." For a minute Miss Montez just stared at me. Then she shook her head a little and laughed awkwardly. "I hope you don't mind, but just how old are you?"

"I'm almost sixteen. A sophomore."

"I see." For a minute she studied my face, as if searching for something. Then she muttered something underneath her breath, something that sounded like, "Those blue eyes..."

"Excuse me?" I said, trying not to appear as creeped out as I was.

She snapped out of it, then blushed. "I'm sorry! You probably think I'm crazy or something. It's just that you remind me so much of someone I once knew."

"Oh..." I glanced at Nate. "I'm really sorry Miss Montez, but I should probably go. Nate is riding home with me and my dad is probably waiting."

"Oh of course. Well here's a copy of the script. And I hope you'll at least consider auditioning for the part of Cinderella. Maybe it could be the start of something new for you."

"Yeah... I'll think about it." That was the second time I'd said that today, what was I thinking? I certainly was not going to think about going up there and making a fool out of myself by passing out or hitting every wrong note. "Well, goodbye." I started to walk away, then stopped. "Miss Montez?"

She turned around again. "Yes Ella?"

I bit my lip. "This might not be any of my business, but did you ever sing again after that one time?"

She smiled slowly, and nodded. "Yes I did. I actually starred in two of my school's musicals."

"Wow." I paused and mulled over this information. "Well, I just wondered. I'll see you later then. Bye!"

"Goodbye Ella."

I walked up to Nate who said in a hushed tone, "What was that all about?"

"She just wanted to talk to me about auditioning for Cinderella."

"Really? That's awesome! So are you going to do it?"

I glanced behind me at Miss Montez who was talking to Kelly at the front of the theater. "I don't know... we'll see."


	2. Chapter 2

"So what do you think dad?" I asked as I set the table for dinner. My dad was in the kitchen finishing the steaks, but I knew he could still hear me easily. "Do you think I should go for it?"

"Honey, of course you should! Obviously this woman knows what she's talking about. And I know you could do it."

"But what about the whole 'singing' thing? Do you really think I could pull that off?"

My dad came in from the kitchen holding the salad bowl and smiled at me. "I think you can do anything if you follow your heart. And as cheesy as that sounded, I really meant it." He set the bowl down just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" I laid down the last fork and ran to the door. I opened it to see my "aunt and uncle" standing on the porch with their son. They weren't really my uncle and aunt, but they had been friends with my dad for so long, that it was like they were family. Their son, Michael, and I had been together since we were in diapers, so it was like we were cousins. I smiled at them. "Hi Uncle Chad, Aunt Taylor! Hey Michael!"

"Sup!" Michael smiled back at me.

"Hey sweetie." Aunt Taylor pushed open the door wider and made her way through first, holding a steaming casserole dish. Uncle Chad and Michael followed, armed with pop bottles and pints of icecream.

"Oh I see you brought the good stuff!" I grinned. "I should have just let you two in!"

"Now, now young lady!" Uncle Chad set down his armload and grinned back at me, before pulling me into a bear hug. "Your Aunt Taylor's casserole is the finest in the state."

I pulled away laughing. "I know. Just messing around." Quickly Michael and I put away the icecream in the freezer before the doorbell rang again. "I'll get it!" I yelled.

I walked to the door and opened it to see Nate's smiling face. "Hey Nate!" I noticed he was holding flowers and rolled my eyes. "Trying to get on Aunt Taylor's good side?"

"And yours!" He took his other hand from behind his back to reveal another bunch of pink roses, my favorite.

"Hey you're already on my good side. Well, most of the time anyway." Nate rolled his eyes and handed me the flowers unceremoniously. "Thanks Nate." I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. I was surprised when he blushed.

"Well, what's going on in here?" Michael walked into the room grinning.

"Nothing you dork!" I laughed and shoved him playfully.

"Roses?" Michael quirked an eyebrow at Nate who shrugged and looked away.

"They're Aunt Taylor's favorite!" I said quickly, which was true. "She's going to love these. And thanks for the extra ones for me too."

I ran to the kitchen and gave Aunt Taylor her flowers. "From Nate." I explained, before getting a vase for my own roses.

Uncle Chad whistled. "That boy Nate has got it bad for you."

"SHHH!" I hissed. "They're in the next room! And no, he doesn't, he's just my best friend, and he likes to do nice things for me."

"Very nice things." Michael said casually, walking in with a very red Nate. "Extremely nice things."

I rolled my eyes again. Michael was great and all, but he really was like family, he got under my skin sometimes.

"Anyway," my dad said briskly, "everything's all ready! Let's eat!"

I smiled at him in gratitude as we all trooped out to the dining room table. I had no idea why some people thought Nate liked me. I knew he didn't. We were friends. Just friends.

"So did you get the invitation?" Aunt Taylor asked my dad once we were all seated and eating.

"What invitaion?" My dad said blankly.

"The invitation to the East High Alumni Reunion Dinner, Troy." Uncle Chad answered for Aunt Taylor.

"Oh, yes I got it." My dad took another bite of his salad.

"Are you going Dad?" I asked.

"I don't know. Seems like it could be pretty awkward."

"I think it would be cool!" Michael said. "All those people talking to you about the old days when you were Troy Bolton: MVP and captain of the East High Wildcats Basketball Team."

"Not to mention golf." Uncle Chad said.

"And baseball." Aunt Taylor chimed in.

"And all that theater stuff you did." I added, then was surprised when Aunt Taylor and Uncle Chad stopped eating and stared at my dad.

"You told her?"

My dad glanced at me. "Of course I told her! What is there to hide?"

"So you told her about Gabri-" Uncle Chad began.

"I thought it was clear that her name was never to be spoken in this house." My dad's voice, cold and stern, startled me. He almost never spoke that way. Heavy silence ensued. What was going on? I looked over at Nate, who was looking back and forth between Uncle Chad and my dad. Michael was staring down at his plate. Aunt Taylor fiddled with her napkin.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe you shouldn't go to the Reunion Dinner." Uncle Chad said, then continued eating. Aunt Taylor cleared her throat. My father sat, staring at the salad bowl in front of him as if not really seeing it.

Nate broke the silence. "They told us what play we're doing at drama practice today. We're going to perform Cinderella. The musical."

"That's awesome." Aunt Taylor smiled warmly at him.

"We need to sing a song for the audition." I added, hoping to keep the conversation alive. "Anyone got any ideas?"

"Does it have to be a show tune?" Uncle Chad asked.

"I don't think so." I said, smiling at him and thanking my lucky stars someone was willing to take the bait. "I mean I don't want to do something really modern. But also not a show tune."

"I was thinking maybe we could sing a duet." Nate looked at me. "Then if one of us makes a mistake, the other one can cover it."

I smiled at him. "That sounds like a really awesome idea."

"Okay, so a not too old, not too young song, that's a duet." Michael said.

For a moment everything was silent as we all thought. Then my dad spoke up. "I know a song you guys could do."

"Really? Would I know it?" I said, eager to encourage him to join the conversation again.

"No..." he said slowly, "it's pretty obscure and quite a bit before your time. But I like it."

"What's it called?" Nate pressed.

"It's called _The Start of Something New_."

Somewhere in my mind that sounded familiar. Where had I heard it before? Then I remembered. Miss Montez had said it to me earlier that day. _"And I hope you'll at least consider auditioning for the part of Cinderella. Maybe it could be the start of something new for you." _That was a weird coincidence, I thought. Then Nate's voice brought me back to the present.

"Sounds interesting. How does it go?"

Uncle Chad and Aunt Taylor glanced at my father, who looked awkward. "Well, um," he cleared his throat, "something like this: _Living in my own world, Didn't understand, That anything can happen, If you take a chance. _Or... something like that." He mumbled, spearing a piece of meat with his fork.

I blinked. Even from just those few lines of song I could tell my dad was a great singer. Much better than I had expected. I glanced at Nate, whose eyebrows were raised. Even Michael looked surprised.

"What do you think?" Nate said.

"I like it. Sounds a little corny, but good." I looked down at my empty plate and then across at Nate's. "May we be excused so we can go look it up?"

My dad nodded, smiling for the first time since his awkward declaration. "Go ahead."

"Okay." Nate and I left the dining room and headed for my room. I opened my laptop and typed in SongMania, a website where you could easily look up song lyrics and karaoke music. "Here it is!" I said, after a minute of searching. "Here's the karaoke version, and here are the lyrics. Wanna try it?"

"Sure." Nate and I looked nervously at eachother, then I laughed.

"Hey, if we suck, at least no one's here to hear us! Let's try."

Nate nodded and I hit play. "Your part first." I nodded at him. Nate took a deep breath and started to sing.

_Living in my own world, _

_Didn't understand,  
><em>

_That anything can happen, _

_If you take a chance, _

Wow. He was good. I blinked, then realized it was my turn. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

_I never believed in, _

_What I couldn't see, _

_I never opened my heart, _

_Ohhh to all the possibilities, _

Nate stared at me for a second. I blushed. Had I been that bad? Then I turned back to the screen, determined not to think about how much I must suck till the end of the song. The next part we sang together.

_I know something has changed, _

_Never felt this way, _

_And right here tonight, _

_This could be the start of something new, _

_It feels so right, _

_To be here with you, _

_And now lookin' in your eyes, _

_I feel in my heart,  
><em>

_The start of something new, _

We kept singing, and I was surprised to find I was enjoying it. A lot. At last we came to the last chorus.

_And now lookin' in your eyes, _

_I feel in my heart, _

_The start of something new, _

_The start of something new_

_The start of something new..._

We both stopped singing and gazed into eachother's eyes for a second, surprised and pleased beyond belief. Suddenly, I heard applause and turned to find Michael, Uncle Chad, Aunt Taylor, and my dad standing in the doorway.

"You guys!" Aunt Taylor squealed, "That was terrific!"

I sprang away from Nate, almost dropping my computer. "How long were you guys standing there?"

"Long enough to know you _can _sing! Really well!" Uncle Chad said.

"Really?" I couldn't believe my ears.

"Yeah, seriously you guys, I mean I'm not usually into all that shiz, but that was seriously well done." Michael said, smiling at both of us.

Nate glanced at me, almost shyly. "You were amazing."

"Thanks. I don't exactly believe you, but I know for sure _you _were amazing! When have you had time to take all the secret singing lessons I didn't know about?"

Nate flushed, then grinned. "Except for singing in the shower, I haven't had any experience with singing."

"Guys, you should sing that for your audition." My dad was smiling at us, and yet at the same time he looked sad. "You'll rock their world."

I giggled. "Thanks Dad. But please don't try to talk like a highschooler."

He laughed. "Alright I get it."

"Well," Uncle Chad glanced at his watch, "we better get going."

"Alright, well drive careful. Michael and Nate, see you at basketball camp in two weeks, if not before!" My dad smiled.

"You got it Coach." Michael and Nate grinned at him.

"Bye Nate, Michael." I said, hugging both of them. "Nate, we'll get together soon to rehearse okay?"

"Alright, text me! And remember," he smiled, "this could be the start of something new!"

I nodded, smiling. Maybe it would be...

"Nate, are you sure about this?" I said, my stomach knotting. Three days ago after singing with Nate the first time, me getting up and singing in front of an audience had seemed like a realistic idea. Now, with just a few minutes left before we would be called upon to sing, it started to seem completely unbelievable again.

Nate smiled at me. "Don't worry, we've rehearsed. I know you're going to do great. And everyone here is rooting for you."

I bit my lip. "Yeah, but it's still scary, you know?"

To my surprise Nate grabbed my hand and squeezed it. But all he said was, "Yeah, I know."

"Nate and Ella?" Miss Montez turned toward where we were sitting. "You're up!"

Nate squeezed my hand again and then pulled me to my feet. I felt frozen, but I ordered my legs to move, and almost gasped in relief when they obeyed. _It's alright Ella. Stop being such a wimp. You're going to be fine. _As we got onstage, I took a deep breath and tried not to look directly at all the people staring at us. I glanced at Nate who smiled reassuringly, then moved to put the karaoke CD in the waiting CD player. As the music filled the auditorium, I was glad Nate had the first part. I was sure I couldn't sing anything right at that moment.

As Nate began to sing, I glanced down at Miss Montez and Kelly sitting in the front row. Kelly was smiling, but to my surprise, Miss Montez looked a little pale. She sat very straight against the back of her chair, and she was gripping the arms of the seat so hard her knuckles were white. I barely had time to think about it though, because I had to sing the next part.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: To everyone who reviewed, favorited, or took any notice of my story whatsoever, thanks so much! You guys are awesome. Sorry it's been a few days since I updated, I've been busy, and had to rewrite most of this chapter. I have so many ideas for this story, so please continue to review! _:)

"Congratulations Ella!" I smiled weakly at Miss Montez who chuckled. "I know that was scary, but you did an amazing job and I know you're going to make an excellent Cinderella!"

"I couldn't believe how nervous I was." I shook my head. "Are you sure I'll be able to do a whole performance?"

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have cast you. And like you said, it's easier when you're working with your best friend." Nate, who was standing next to me, grinned.

I rolled my eyes a little. "I'll have to get used to Nate being my Prince Charming. It'll be kind of weird." I laughed and then regretted it as I saw Nate's grin begin to fade. "Uh, well I mean, because we've been friends for so long and stuff. Not because he couldn't be Prince Charming. He's very charming. I mean, not in a creepy way. Just in a normal friend way. But I mean, he's not a prince, so he really couldn't be if you think about it. Ha. Ha." I finished lamely, trying to hide the fact that I was blushing beet red. I glanced at Nate but he was looking hard in another direction. Miss Montez smiled, a little unsure.

"Uh, yeah, right. Anyway, rehearsal begins next week, so start memorizing your lines as soon as possible. Don't stress too much over it though, I won't expect you to know all your lines for weeks yet."

"Thanks, we'll do that." I breathed a sigh of relief that the attention was no longer on me.

Miss Montez hesitated for a moment. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but where did you hear that song you performed today?"

"My dad showed it to us when he heard we had to sing a duet. Why, had you heard it before?"

"Well, yes, I had. I sang it once at a party." She laughed quietly, but her eyes looked sad. "That was the first time I really sang with anybody else. I'll never forget it." She paused a moment then said, "Did your dad say where he first heard it? It's a pretty obscure song, and it's also pretty old."

"Well," I looked at Nate, who shook his head, "actually I don't think he did. Maybe he sang it during one of his highschool's musicals."

Miss Montez stared at me. "Your father sings?"

"I guess. I just found out a couple days ago actually."

Nate added, "I heard him the other day. He's pretty good!"

"I see." Miss Montez bit her lip, for a minute she looked almost scared. "Ella, your father's first name wouldn't happen to be-"

"Ella? Your dad was busy with something at home so he told me I should pick you up. Are you ready to g-" I turned to see my Aunt Taylor stop abruptly. Her eyes were fixed on Miss Montez. "Gabby? Is that you?"  
>I glanced back at Miss Montez. Her face was very pale, but she had a small smile on her lips.<p>

"Hey, Taylor. It's been a long time."

Aunt Taylor walked slowly toward us, her eyes shining with what looked like tears. "Oh my gosh, this is crazy! I had no idea you were in town! Why didn't you write?"

"I wasn't sure if you'd even care. After... what happened."

I looked over at Nate who was staring first at my Aunt and then at Miss Montez. He cleared his throat. "You two know eachother?"

Aunt Taylor shook her head, as if coming out of a fog, and focused on Nate and I. "Uh, yes. We knew eachother. A long time ago. We were close friends."She shook her head again then bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I still can't believe this. It's so great to see you." Impulsively she hugged Miss Montez, who looked startled, and then grateful. When Aunt Taylor pulled away she said, "Does anybody else know you're in town? Anyone at all?"

Miss Montez studied her face as if hearing more in the question than we were. Then she ducked her head. "No, no one else knows."

"I see." For a moment Aunt Taylor's face looked sad, then she brightened. "Here, here's my phone number. Call me and we'll have lunch sometime. Catch up, reminisce. You know."

Miss Montez's smile faded. "It's alright. You don't have to pretend Tay. Believe me, I stopped pretending years ago. Things are different now." With that, she turned and walked away.

Aunt Taylor looked after her, her face full of regret. She sighed, then turned back to us. "I'm sorry Ella, Nate. Let's go home."

"Aunt Taylor, is something wrong?" I tried to keep the worry out of my voice. I had never seen my aunt look so upset.  
>For a moment she just looked at Nate and I. Then she smiled quietly and said, "No, nothing's wrong." I smiled in relief but then stiffened as I heard her mutter something under her breath as she turned to leave. It sounded like, "Nothing yet."<p>

"It was just so weird. Like, if they were such close friends then, why aren't they now, and why have I never heard of "Gabby" before?" I leaned back against the pillows on my bed as I cradled my cellphone against my ear.

Nate answered, "Yeah, it was weird. I know she said nothing was wrong, but looked like she was going to throw up or something. I've never seen her so freaked out."

"Yeah." I sighed. "So... what do you think I should do?"

"You could ask your dad if he knows anything about it."

"I don't know. I kind of doubt he'd tell me. It's weird, he's been so _secretive_ lately. All this stuff about singing in highschool and that mysterious girl who's name is obviously forever banned in our house." Suddenly I sat bolt upright. "Nate! I just thought of something!"

"What?" I could tell I'd startled him.

"What if Miss Montez is the mystery girl?"

"I guess it's possible. But it's kind of a long shot don't you think? I mean just because your Aunt Taylor knew her doesn't make her your dad's girl."

"No, no, it's not a long shot! Think about it! When Aunt Taylor talked to Miss Montez she called her 'Gabby', right? Well when Uncle Chad was about to say that one girl's name he only got as far as 'Gabri-'."  
>"Yeah..." Nate sounded skeptical. "So? I don't get why that's important."<p>

"So! Gabby is short for Gabriella. And the first part of 'Gabriella' sounds like what Uncle Chad said at the dinner table."

"Okay..." Nate said slowly, "I'll give you that. But it's still a long shot."

"No, no." I said impatiently. "Wait, it will all make sense in a minute." I heard Nate chuckle at my eagerness, but I ignored it. "See, the first time I formally introduced myself to Miss Montez I used my last name. And she reacted weirdly to it. When I asked if something was wrong she said she had had an old boyfriend with that same last name!"

"Ella, I'm sure there are other men in the world with the last name Bolton."

"I'm not done yet, quit interrupting! In that same conversation, Miss Montez mentioned she had starred in two of her school musicals. And she also knew the song _Start of Something New _and asked where I had heard it. And when I told her it was my dad, she was about to ask what my dad's name was when Aunt Taylor interrupted." I sat back, pleased with my detective skills. "There. What do you think of all that?"

"Okay, I'll admit it sounds suspicious, but we can't jump to conclusions. Even if the mystery girl's name _was_ Gabriella, and even if Miss Montez's name is Gabriella, it doesn't neccesarily mean it's the same Gabriella."

I huffed. "Nate, don't be so boring. It's so obvious!"

Nate laughed. "Hey, I said it sounded suspicious."

"Well it doesn't matter, because no matter who that girl is, something is definitely going on with my dad. And with my Aunt Taylor. And with Miss Montez. And I want to get to the bottom of it."

"Ella," Nate suddenly sounded tired, "it might just be none of our business."

"I'm his daughter Nate. Of course it's my business!"

Nate laughed again. "You're insane."

"Yes," I agreed, grinning, "and worse, I'm stubborn. So you've got to help me with this."

Nate groaned, but I could tell he was smiling. "Fine! But someday I'm going to refuse to be part of one of your little schemes."

"Why?" I teased. "Just so you can prove how much I desperately need you?"

"Duh. And then of course you'll have to come crawling back on your knees, crying and promising to do almost anything to get me to be your friend again."

I laughed. "In your dreams Nathaniel." I knew he hated it when I used his whole first name. To my surprise however, there was a sudden silence on the other end of the line. For a second I thought I had lost the connection, but then I heard his voice.

"Maybe it is." I felt my heart rate pick up. _Oh Nate, why did you have to say that_.

The silence stretched so long that I began to wonder if I had hung up on him without even realizing it. Then, "Are you still there Ella?"  
>"Uhh, yeah. I'm sorry, uh, I accidentally hit the mute button there for a minute, what did you say?" I instantly hated myself for lying to him, but I didn't know what else to do.<p>

Nate's nervous laughter filled my ear. "It was nothing."

"Oh, okay." I said softly.

"So," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "how are we going to figure out the mystery?"  
>I laughed, trying to dispel some of the tension. "Uh, well I guess for right now we should just keep our eyes and ears open. And text eachother if we learn anything."<p>

"Alrighty then." Nate cleared his throat again.

_Nate, _why _did you have to make things go all weird. _"Listen, I'm sorry Nate, but I got to go."

"Oh okay. Well, I'll talk to you later. Night."

"Night." I hit end and sighed. I didn't know what to do about Nate. I loved being his friend, but if I was sending him the wrong messages...

I shook my head, got up, and turned off my bedroom light. Whatever I should do could wait till morning.  
>As I lay in bed, my thougths turned again to our little mystery. I wondered if I would ever really know the truth. I wondered if my dad was hiding something from me. But my last conscious thought was Miss Montez as she said, "Who knows, maybe this could be the start of something new for you..."<p>

_What do you think will happen? Are Nate and Ella right for eachother? Or not so much? A couple of interesting coming attractions, pretty soon lot's of new characters will be entering our story, some old friends and some old enemies. Also, Nate just might have a rival in the future. You never know. Anyway, thanks for reading! Again, please review! _


	4. Chapter 4

I was pulled from the nice quiet world of sleep by the sound of the doorbell ringing. And ringing. And ringing some more. Groaning, I got up and grabbed some jeans to put on with the t-shirt I had worn to bed. Hurriedly I pulled them on, then ran a brush through my hair as I walked to the door, thinking it was probably one of the neighbors.

I pulled open the door and was nearly blinded by the morning sun shining off of tons of sequins, bright blonde hair, and the color pink, which was suddenly everywhere. I jumped back.

"Good morning, is this Troy Bolton's house?" A sugary sweet voice asked me. I blinked a few times, and my eyes refocused on a very pretty blonde woman with two blonde teenagers with her, a boy and a girl. The woman wore a bright pink sequined jacket and tight jeans going down into sleek pink boots. The girl was dressed in a pink sparkly tank top and white shorts, which perfectly showed off her tanned toned arms and legs. As for the boy... he was a work of art. Tousled, windswept blonde hair, dry instead of dripping with greasy hair product, matched the shining blue eyes that smiled out of the tan face perfectly. I noticed that his teeth were incredibly white and wondered what toothpaste he used and when I had missed the supermodel convention coming into town.

"Hellllooo?" The girl waved her hand in front of my face. "My mother just asked you a question?"

"Michelle, sweetie, be gentle. Good help is so hard to find these days. I mean look at the way she's dressed!"

I felt my cheeks burn as I glanced down at my purple t-shirt and old jeans. _Great. Next time I'll remember to pull out my designer threads for answering the door at 8:00 in the morning,_ I thought sarcastically. _And did that woman just call me "the help"?_

"I'm sorry," I said, pasting a smile on my face, "I'm not the help. I live here. I'm Troy Bolton's daughter."

The next second I was enveloped in a crushing hug, my cheek smashed against pink leather and sequins. "Darling, I'm so happy to finally meet you!"

"Uhh," I pulled away, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

The woman looked stunned. "Why I'm your Auntie Sharpay! And these are my fantabulous children, Michelle and Stephen."

"Hello." Michelle said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I'm delighted to meet you." Her eyes scanned me up and down, and her expression said the exact opposite.  
>"Hey." Stephen smiled at me and nodded his head. His eyes scanned me too, but his smile only grew larger.<p>

"Uh," I tore myself away from the guy's beautiful baby blues to say, "I'm sorry, but I still can't place you."

"I went to highschool with your daddy. He was in love with me, but I'm afraid I had to turn him down. So many times. Oh, the tears! The begging! But I was firm. I said, 'Troy, we must remain friends.'" Sharpay struck a dramatic pose. "Anyway, we're in town for the week because of the East High Reunion and I thought why not pop over and see him!"

"Oh..." I wondered why this woman thought I should know her. It wasn't as if I went through my dad's yearbooks everyday. "Well, I'll go get him." I paused. "Come in. Sit down."

"Okey dokey!" The three blonde beauties came through the door and sat down on our couch. Michelle sniffed, and she looked critically over the room. I could almost see her attaching price tags to everything. I rolled my eyes, then headed for my dad's room.

"Dad?" I opened the door to my dad's study to find him engrossed in reading something at his desk. To my surprise I thought I saw a tear glistening on his cheek.

He dropped whatever he was reading as if it had burned him and said, "Yes?"

"Um, there's someone from your old highschool here who'd like to talk to you. Her name's Sharpay I think."

Something like terror passed over my father's face for an instant. He reminded me of a mouse cornered by a cat. But the next second he laughed and said, "Alright. I'll be out in a minute."

"Alright, please hurry. And by the way, she has her kids with her."

My dad paused. "Sharpay married? Sharpay with kids? Impossible." Then he laughed again. "And also kind of funny." He smiled at me. "I'll hurry, don't worry."

"Good." I smiled in relief and closed the door. As I walked back towards the living room, I wondered what my dad had been reading. Did it have anything to do with the mystery girl? I walked into my room and pulled on a new shirt, a blue one with lace around the bottom. I loved it. I brushed my hair out fully and put on a head band. I didn't look like a super model, but then, I never would.  
>I walked out of my bedroom, and realized Sharpay and her children were probably still waiting for me to return. I walked quickly around the corner and ran smack into someone.<p>

"Ooof!" I was knocked backwards and fell to the ground, with whoever it was on top of me.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there."

I opened my eyes and looked straight up into gorgeous blue ones. _Nate has brown eyes. This isn't Nate. Oh my gosh, it's Stephen. _"Oh! It's alright. It wasn't your fault."

Stephen smiled. "Thanks."

I paused a moment. "Um, I'm sorry, but can you get off me?"

Stephen chuckled. "What, you don't like our current position?"

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously?"

He looked surprised. "What?"

I pushed him off me. "Is that the best line you can come up with?"

He laughed. "Hey, I'm sorry, it's the best I could come up with on short notice."

"Right." I shrugged and got up, ignoring the hand he offered me.  
>"Independent type?"<p>

"Only sometimes." I smiled at him a little too sweetly, then turned to walk away, stunned at myself. Since when had I gotten such a big loud mouth?

"Actually I need your directions."

I turned back. "Uh, what?"

"I was trying to find your bathroom when we had our little collison."

"Oh, got it. Go down this hall, first door on your right."

"Thanks." He started to walk that way, then turned back. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I got your name."

"Ella."

"Ella." He said, smiling. "I hope we can get to know eachother better soon."

"Uh, right." I turned and walked to the living room.

"What happened? We thought you got lost." Michelle said, in a bored tone.  
>"Sorry, I got sidetracked." No reason to tell them their son and brother had been laying on top of me. "But my dad should be out-"<br>"Now." I turned to find my dad behind me, smiling.

Sharpay was up, squealing, in an instant. "Troy!" She grabbed him and kissed the air around both his cheeks french style, then grabbed his hand, practically jumping up and down with joy. "It's been so long!"

"Yes, it has!" My dad smiled, but looked a little petrified. Then he turned to Michelle. "And who is this gorgeous young lady?"

Michelle simpered, then extended her hand. "I'm Michelle."

My father took her hand and smiled. "It's nice to meet you Michelle. You are just as beautiful as your mother was at your age."

"Stop Troy, you'll make me blush!" Sharpay giggled.

I rolled my eyes quietly then snapped to attention as my dad said, "Why don't you take Michelle into your room Ella and you can talk?"

"Uhh," I glanced desperately from my dad to Michelle, then sighed. "Of course. Just follow me."

I led her into my room and quickly walked to my bed to make it. After I was finished we sat down on it.

Michelle spoke first. "I don't know if you know this, but my mother was a Broadway star!"

"Oh that's so cool!" I tried to smile like I meant it. "Do you like theater too?"

Michelle looked at me and sniffed. "My mother has had me trained with the finest acting coaches all across America. I'm _destined _for Broadway. One day you'll be telling people I sat in your room and devoted some of my precious time to talking with you."

"Ah." I didn't know what else to say. "Well, once you're rich and famous, I'll be sure the bed gets put in a museum." I hoped my sarcasm didn't show through as much as I thought it did.  
>Michelle nodded, serious. "You do that."<p>

Just then Stephen walked past my open bedroom door and grinned at us. "Hello ladies."

"What do you want Stephen?" Michelle rolled her eyes. "We're trying to have a discussion here?"

"Oh I'm very good at discussing." Stephen casually strolled into my room and flung himself on the remaining portion of my bed, lounging there.

I tried to ignore the flutter of my heart as I thought about that beautiful masterpiece of a boy lying so casually on _my _bed.

Michelle shoved him. "You're not wanted here."

In response, Stephen grinned, pushed up his sleeve and pinched himself, hard. "Ouch!" Michelle sent him a glare and smacked him on the arm.

"Wait," I said, confused, "what just happened there?"

Michelle rolled her eyes at me and didn't deign to reply, but Stephen smiled and said, "We're twins. Sometimes Michelle can feel my pain. And I can feel hers."

"You're twins?"

"Yes," Michelle examined her nails as she spoke, "twins run in our family."

Stephen explained, "Our mom is a twin."

"Wow." I could just picture two Sharpay's in the world. I shivered.

"Uncle Ryan is totally different from Mom though." Michelle added.

Oh, it was a boy. I breathed a sigh of relief. Our planet was safe from too much glitter. "Do twins run in your dad's family too?" I asked.

Michelle stiffened and glanced at Stephen, who looked upset for a minute. Then he shrugged and said, "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Our dad isn't home much. He's busy. He leads an extremely glamorous lifestyle!" Michelle said, looking angrily at her brother.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That must be hard for you guys not to see your dad that often."

Stephen laughed. "Yeah, it's torture." I raised an eyebrow at him, but he ignored it and bounced up off my bed. "Well ladies," he began.

Just then my phone began to ring. Before I could even move, Stephen grabbed it off my desk and answered it. "Hello?"

I grabbed at the phone, but he easily side-stepped me and listened for a minute, laughing at my feeble attempts to snatch it back.

"Yes, Ella's here." He smirked at me one last time and then handed the phone over. "Somebody named Nate wants to talk to you."

"Nate! Hey! Sorry about that." I shot Stephen an "I-can't-believe-you-just-did-that" look and sat back down on the bed.

"Ella?" Nate sounded angry. "Who was that?"

"Uh, Stephen, he's a.. friend." I said.

Stephen grinned and winked at me. Michelle yawned and rolled her eyes.

"Why is this friend of yours answering your cellphone? And since when do you have guy friends I don't know about?"

"Uh, Nate, I don't exactly check up with you every time I make a new friend." I said, annoyed at the tone of his voice. "I'm a big girl."

"Why did he answer your phone?"

"He's in my room and heard it ring and-"

"He's in your _room_?"

Stephen heard that and started to laugh. I blushed. "Not like that you idiot! He _and his sister _are in my room and he heard it ring and answered it as a joke. A stupid joke." I added for Stephen's benefit and glared at him again.

"Ella..." Nate's voice sounded sad. "If this is about last night..."

"What about last night?" I said quickly, trying to hide the panic in my voice. "Look, everything's fine Nate. Why did you call?"

"You know what, I think I changed my mind. I want to tell you this in person."  
>"Nate, we have company."<p>

"I got that."

"Nate, I told you, Stephen's a friend."

"Well, I'm your friend too." He paused for a second. "I'm coming over."

"Nate!" I heard the click as Nate hung up.

I glared at Stephen. "Well thank you for that. Now my best guy friend is running over here, convinced I'm in dire need of rescuing. All because of you!"

"Me?" Stephen looked honestly surprised. "I answered your cellphone. It's not a big deal. I think it's your friend who has the problem."

I weighed his words. I partially agreed with him, but I was also still annoyed with him. "Listen, whatever, I don't care, but can you please leave?"

Stephen grinned. "If you promise to have dinner with me tomorrow night."

"What? This isn't a negotiation!"

Stephen pushed his lower lip out, and his eyes seemed to grow two times bigger. "Come on, please! I promise to be a perfect gentleman."

I stared at him. Was he seriously asking me out?

"Look, Nate's going to be here any second, he literally lives right down the street!"

"Am I not getting this across to you right?" Stephen grabbed my hands suddenly and knelt down on my bedroom floor. "Please Ella, I've never asked any girl out so soon after meeting her. But I think you might be worth it to make an exception."

"Stephen!" I tried to pry my hands out of his grasp, but he held on firmly. "You're crazy!"

He grinned. "That's probably true."

"Nate's going to be walking in that door any second!"

"Then say yes!" He gave me the puppy dog face again.

For a second I paused. As much as he had already proven to be a charmer and probably a flirt, he was extremely cute. And he was only here for a week...

Finally, I smiled. "Yes, Stephen. I'll have dinner with you tomorrow night." I looked up, over Stephen's head, and saw Nate standing in my bedroom doorway, his brown eyes stricken.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Hey! Hope you're enjoying this so far. Just wanted to say thanks again for the reviews and to everyone who liked this story enough to want to follow it. Especially want to thank TocoGirlHills, your review was very sweet and was what made me decide to update today. Also, I'd like to point out that I don't own the lyrics to the song "10 Minutes Ago", it really is from Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella. I also don't own the lyrics to the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", it was a bonus track on the first Highschool Musical CD. Anyway, enjoy this chapter! _

"Nate!" I pulled my hands out of Stephen's so fast he almost fell over. He was quickly up on his feet though, grinning happily.

"Hey, I believe we spoke on the phone just a little bit ago." Stephen smiled at Nate and stuck out his hand. Nate shook it slowly, his face looking like a storm cloud.

Then his eyes turned to Michelle, who had sat up suddenly when he walked in. His eyes widened, but he didn't make a comment. He turned back to me. "Ella, can I talk to you in the hall for a second?"

"Well-" But Nate had already grabbed my hand and practically hauled me from the room.

Once we were safely in the hall he turned to face me, looking angry. "Who the heck are these people?"

"People?" I said, trying to sound innocent.

"You know, the tricked out Barbie doll hanging on your dad in the living room, the super model lounging on your bed like she's posing for the cover of Star Power, and the jerk who somehow brainwashed you into being his girlfriend in the space of two minutes."

I smiled at Nate's description of them then rolled my eyes. "Okay, the 'tricked out Barbie doll' is one of my dad's friends from highschool named Sharpay. And if you're wondering, no, I have no idea what kind of sick parents would saddle their precious baby with a name like that. But anyway, Stephen and Michelle are her kids. And just for the record," I added, a little angry myself, "Stephen did not 'brainwash me into being his girlfriend'! I agreed to go out to dinner with him."

Nate scoffed. "How long have you known this guy, like two seconds? How do you know he's not a creep?"

"I don't. But I think he's okay. I mean his mom was a Broadway star. They sound like upper class people. I don't think he's the type who secretly sells drugs on street corners or anything."

Nate shook his head. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Nate, my dad wouldn't have been friends with someone who would raise their kids to crawl all over their dates."

"People change since highschool Ella. You really have no idea what this woman or her children are like."

"Nate," I said, getting frustrated, "I don't know why you don't want me to go out with this perfectly nice, gorgeous guy, but honestly, I'm not really comfortable with you being all up in my personal life like this. So please, skip the protective older brother act, I can take care of myself."

I turned to go, but Nate caught my arm. "Ella! Wait..." He sighed and pulled me back towards him. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you feel like I don't believe you can take care of yourself. I know you can. It's just, we've been friends for a long time, and I don't want to see you get hurt. That's all."

I sighed. "I know Nate. But sometimes it's like you act like I'm your own personal property." Nate winced. "And not to be mean, but I'm not. You're my best friend. I'll always value your opinon. But you don't get to make my decisions for me."

Nate sighed. "I know." He straightened. "But if that guy hurts you I'm going to kill him."

I laughed. "You do that." Nate pulled me into his arms and I hugged him, laying my head on his shoulder. As his arms drew protectively around me, I realized I felt almost, well, safe.

"Michelle, Stephen?" Sharpay walked up, causing us to jump apart. She stopped and looked us both up and down, an amused smile on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Interrupt what?" Stephen walked out of my room, smiling easily.

"Nothing." I said quickly.

Sharpay shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever. Michelle, Stephen, you guys ready to go?"

"I'm more than ready." Michelle walked out of my room and glared at me. Then she sent a sweet smile Nate's way. I held back a laugh. _In your dreams Michelle. _

"Well, goodbye Stephen." Not knowing what else to do, I hugged him quickly. "See you tomorrow."

He grinned. "I'll pick you up at seven."

"Fine." I smiled at him. "Goodbye Michelle. It was nice meeting you."

"Yes, I'm sure it was." Michelle nodded, then went back to examining her nails.  
>"Goodbye Mrs..." I trailed off.<p>

Sharpay giggled. "It's Evans-Leverett. Or just Leverett. But you can call me Sharpay."

"Alright. Well goodbye Sharpay."

Sharpay stood for a moment, as if waiting for something. When I didn't move, she opened her arms wide. "Hugsies!"

"Oh!" I hugged her, my face once again smashed against rhinestones. When she released me I tried to discreetly gasp for air.

My dad walked up as Sharpay said, "Well, toodles!" and moved away from Nate and I. I heard him say, "I'll walk you to the door."

Sharpay flushed. "Such a gentlemen!"

I rolled my eyes and could have gagged. I knew my father was just being polite, but she seemed to think he was flirting with her. Which was gross cause she was married.

When Nate and I were once again standing alone in the hall I turned toward him, my thoughts suddenly returning to something that had happened earlier in the Leverett's visit, when I had seen my dad reading the mysterious document in his study. I told Nate what had happened, then said, "I'm wondering if there's a chance we could get our hands on it."

Nate looked genuinely shocked. "You mean, go through his desk and read something that's probably very private?"

"Well, yeah."

"Oh!" Nate said sarcastically, "That sounds like a good idea!"

"Well, if he won't talk about it, then I have to find out some other way right? Come on, you promised to help me with this didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think that meant snooping through your dad's stuff."

"Well, it does!" I said, smiling.

"Awesome." He muttered.

Just then my dad walked back toward us. "Well that was... frightening." He smiled at us both. "You two did well."

"Thanks Dad." I smiled at him.

"Well, I think after that much Sharpay Evans-Leverett, I need some fresh air. I'm going to take a run. It might be kind of long, I need to get in shape for basketball camp, it's coming up soon. I'll probably be gone for a couple of hours." He eyed us both. "Can I trust you two to keep your hands to yourselves while I'm gone?"

"DAD!" I yelled, feeling myself blush.

"What?" he said, totally oblivious to the fact that he had just said the most embarrassing thing in the history of embarrassing things to say.

"Hey, Ella, chill." Nate grinned. "I'm actually kind of flattered."

"Well I know if you're flattered than I've got nothing to worry about." My dad laughed at my red face.

"Anyway, have fun. There's cold pizza and a veggie platter in the fridge in case you get hungry."

"Okay, thanks."

"Well, I just gotta go change into my running clothes and then I'll be good to go." My dad jogged off to his bedroom.

"Here's our chance!" I whispered to Nate. "Once he's gone, we go into his study and look at whatever he looked at. It's that simple."

"I don't know... I still don't feel right about this."

"Nate, come on," I said pleadingly.

"Fine." He muttered. "Let's at least go watch TV till your dad leaves and we can go into criminal mode.

"Yay!" I kissed him on the cheek, twice, then grabbed his hand and pulled him to the couch. I tried to ignore the silly grin that popped up on his face, and the way he slowly put his arm behind my head on the couch. It wasn't even touching me, but it still felt a little too much like a move. I shifted awkwardly.

He moved his arm.

My dad walked in in his running clothes. "I'll be back in a bit! Bye!"

"Bye!" I said, my eyes still fixed on the TV. I waited till I heard the door shut then sprang to my feet. "Let's go!"

Nate shook his head. "No, let's wait at least half an hour. What if he comes back for something? It would be safer to wait. He said he'd be gone a couple of hours, so we'd still have plenty of time to look."

I sighed. "Alright. But hey, instead of watching TV, do you want to rehearse together?"

"Sure." He smiled and turned off the TV. I got my script so we could share it and we started in on the ballroom scene.

Finally, we got to one of my favorite songs in the whole play called "10 Minutes Ago". It was a beautiful, yet faster paced, love song. Nate started singing.

_Ten minutes ago, I saw you,_

_I looked up when you came through the door,_

_My head started reeling,_

_You gave me the feeling,_

_The room had no ceiling or floor. _

_Ten minutes ago, I met you, _

_And we murmured our how do you dos,_

_I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and sing out the news. _

_I have found her, she's an angel, with the dust of the stars in her eyes. _

_We are dancing, we are flying, and she's taking me back to the skies! _

_In the arms of my love, I'm flying, _

_Over mountain and meadow and glen. _

_And I like it so well that for all I can tell I may never come down again. _

_I may never come down to earth again. _

I had been looking down at the script to follow along with Nate's singing. When it came time to sing my part I looked up at him to smile because Kelly said we needed to work on having romantic chemistry onstage. As soon as I looked at him though, the words I had been about to sing died on my lips. He was staring at me so hard, I felt as if he were looking straight through me. His eyes were soft and bright. For some reason, my gaze suddenly slid to his lips. I wondered what it would be like to kiss him. And suddenly, I really _wanted _to know how it would feel to kiss him. I felt my heart begin to pound. _What's happening to me? This is Nate for crying out loud. _

I looked down at my script again and bit my lip nervously. "Uh, sorry." I laughed, trying not to sound as awkward as I felt. "I think I lost my place there. It's harder without music."

"Yeah." I could tell he was still staring at me. I felt my cheeks grow warm.

"Listen, why don't you sing your part again." I hated saying that, but I couldn't think of any other way to do it. I knew I couldn't sing at that moment, especially not all that lovey dovey stuff, especially not to Nate.

Nate started to sing again, though quieter than before. I kept my eyes firmly fixed on my script. Then came the lines I hated so much right at that moment.

_I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and sing out the news. _

_I have found her, she's an angel, with the dust of the stars in her eyes. _

_We are dancing, we are flying, and she's taking me back to the skies! _

When he sang, "she's an angel" I felt my eyes slide up to his without thinking. He was looking at me so earnestly, and I remembered how I had felt earlier, in his arms. I wanted that back. The safe, friendly feeling. Not this heart-stopping, awkward, inconvenient, fire-in-the-veins stuff I was feeling now. This was Nate. We were just friends. I could never, or at least, should never like him that way. But still...

When Nate finished his verse, neither of us even kept up the pretense. He sang it again, softer. Then slowly, he bent down. Our lips connected.

_Zing! __Zing!_ Woah. For a minute I was so lost in it I forgot who I was kissing. I forgot this was Nate, the boy I had eaten pop rings with in the first grade, the boy I had played with in the kiddy pool, the boy who had given me guy advice and steadied me when I got too stressed out over school assignments. For just a minute, he truly was my Prince Charming. I was his Ella. His Cinderella. And then I woke up.

I pushed him away. The kiss had been pretty brief, and not at all sloppy, closer to a peck than anything else, and yet we were both breathing as if we had just run a marathon.

"Nate," I said unsteadily, "you can _never _do that again!"

Nate blinked, he looked stunned. "I thought you wanted me to! You were looking at me like,like-"

"Like I'm going to look at Stephen. I was just practicing for our date tomorrow. It didn't mean anything." As soon as I had said it I realized it was completely and totally the wrong thing to say. Nate's eyes looked as if I had just torn a hole in his heart.

"Well, I'm glad I'm your practice run then. Really, I am. I'm always so happy when a girl decides I'm good enough to lock lips with. Particularly when it's just practice for the 'perfectly nice, gorgeous guy' you're going out with tomorrow." Nate shoved my script back into my hands. "I'm out."

"Nate! I'm sorry, you know that's not what I meant!"

"No," Nate stared at me, "it's exactly what you meant. So thanks. I'm glad at least I finally got to see your true colors. You know," he continued, "I would have been embarrassed to tell you this when I thought you were perfect, but I spent three years of my life praying you'd kiss me like that. But being a set of practice lips so Stephen can have an even better one? Yeah, wasn't part of what I was wishing for."

"Nate!" I realized I was crying, but I couldn't help it. "I'm sorry!"

"Here." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small notebook. "Enjoy reading those. They're the perfect punchline to the joke you evidently think I am."

He threw the notebook on the ground, turned, and yanked open the door. Without a backward look he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

For a minute, I stood in the middle of the living room, tears blurring my vision of the door that now stood between me and the best friend I had ever had. Then, slowly, I picked up the notebook and sat on the couch. I opened it and started to read.

_You never know what you're gonna feel, oh  
>You never see it comin' suddenly it's real<br>Oh, never even crossed my mind, no  
>That I would ever end up here tonight<br>All things change  
>When you don't expect them to<br>No one knows  
>What the future's gonna do<br>I never even noticed  
>That you've been there all along<em>

_Chorus_  
><em>I can't take my eyes off of you<em>  
><em>I know you feel the same way too, yeah<em>  
><em>I can't take my eyes off of you<em>  
><em>All it took . . . Was one look<em>  
><em>For a dream come true<em>

_Yeah, we got a good thing goin' on_  
><em>Oh, right here is right where we belong<em>  
><em>You never really know what you might find<em>  
><em>Now all I see is you and I<em>  
><em>You're everything I never knew<em>  
><em>That I've been looking for<em>

I couldn't read anymore. I was crying too hard.

_AN: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Lot's of Natella in it! Also, for anyone who's interested, I'm having a **CONTEST**_! Here's the deal: **There is a reason I named Sharpay's kids "Michelle" and "Stephen". It involves the real names of some of the actors in HSM. The first person to leave a review giving the correct reason (and believe me, it's pretty obvious), will get a character named after them in a later chapter! In the review just give what you think the reason is and your first name. If you're not comfortable giving out your first name on the internet, feel free to leave a middle name. Good luck! :) **__


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Hey everybody! Sorry it's been a few days since I updated, but thanks for the reviews! To anyone who has reviewed more than one chapter of this story, I just want to say, special thanks to you, you guys are so great. Now, results of the contest! The correct answer was: Ashley Tisdale's middle name is Michelle and Lucas Grabeel's middle name is Stephen, so I named Sharpay's kids Michelle and Stephen. And the winner is... Sophbells AND ValzBrownie! Sophbells reviewed first but didn't leave her name. ValzBrownie got the right answer next and did leave her name. So both of you win! Sophbells, if you want a character named after you as well you will have to leave me your name in another review. Also, thank you for the review you DID leave, it was really sweet! Enjoy chapter six! _

"I'm sorry 555-9043 can't take your call now. Please leave a message after the beep. Thank you!"

_Beep._ I took a deep breath, trying to steady my still wavering voice. "Nate? This is... well you know who this is. I just wanted to call and let you know how... how sorry I am about what happened. I know you're probably not speaking to me, but when you're ready, can you call me? We need to talk about, um, everything. Well, bye."

I hung up my cellphone and sighed. I couldn't believe it had only been an hour since Nate stormed out. It seemed like it had been days already.

I glanced toward the couch and saw the little red notebook. I felt my eyes begin to sting again, but I blinked hard and looked away. Without looking at it, I walked over, picked it up, and went to my room. Opening the drawer of my desk, I hid it beneath a pile of photos of Nate I had been meaning to scrapbook.

Glancing down, I picked up the photo on the top of the pile and smiled at what I saw. It was Nate, grinning at the camera while petting his dog, Biscuit. His brown eyes, filled with light and warmth, made my heart ache. Without thinking, I folded the picture and slipped it into my pocket.

Suddenly I glanced at my clock, realizing I still had time to look at whatever my dad had been looking at earlier. For a minute I stood undecided. It seemed mean to go on as if nothing was wrong when Nate was probably off being miserable somewhere. But then I shook my head. Nate had kissed _me. _Why should I be feeling guilty? _Because you wanted to him to kiss you, and then lied to cover it up. You broke his heart, _a quiet voice whispered in the back of my mind. But I ignored it.

Nervously, I left my room and headed for my dad's study. I might not have much time. Who knew when my dad would come home, and I really had no idea what time he had left, or how much time had passed since then. Thinking of that, I walked faster till I reached the door.

Quickly I opened it and walked up to my dad's desk, determined to make my snooping fast. I opened the main drawer, and saw the folded piece of paper my father had been reading. Taking a deep breath, I unfolded it.

It was a letter, written in delicate, looping handwriting. I glanced at the date, written in the right hand corner. April 18th, 2010. My dad had been in his sophomore year of college then. I began to read.

Dear Troy,

I know you can never understand why I broke it off when I did. I don't expect you to. I also don't expect you to forgive me. That's not the reason I'm writing this letter. I just want to say I'm sorry. For ruining what you thought our future was supposed to be. I'll never forget the look on your face when you got down on bended knee, asked the question I had always dreamed of you saying, and then had to face rejection. The brokeness in your eyes is forever burned into my brain.

Troy, we had so many wonderful, amazing times together. Please remember me as I was then, full of life and dreaming of all the possibilities of a future with you. Try to forget the heartbreak and remember the good.

I wish things could be different. I really do. But it has to be this way. Please go on, live your life, and grow to be the amazing man I know you're destined to become. I hope you won't waste your time missing what we had together.

It hurts me to have to say this, but please tell Taylor and Chad that I can't see them anymore either. They won't understand, but I'll say it again, it has to be this way. And Troy, it may or may not matter to you, but I think you should know, I really did love you. That was not pretend. I meant everything I ever said to you. You really are the music in me...

I dropped the letter as I heard the front door open and close. Hurriedly I folded it up just as it had been and dropped it back inside the desk. Quietly, I moved across the room and opened the door. But someone was on the other side.

I stifled a scream. "Michael! What are you doing here?"

Michael stared at me. "Why are you in our dad's study?"

"No reason. Why are you here?" I asked again, walking through the door and closing it gently.

Michael grabbed my hand and walked me to the living room, where he sat me down on the couch and stood in front of me, his arms crossed. "I'm here trying to figure out what the heck you said to Nate."

"Oh." I blushed. "Uh..."

"Look, I get that this is really none of my business. But Nate is my best friend. And you're like a sister to me. So I think I have a right to get involved. Especially when Nate is over at my house, staring at the wall and refusing to speak."

I bit my lip. "Well... we, um, well, uh, we...we.."

Michael rolled his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently.

"We kissed!" I said loudly, then dropped my eyes, feeling myself blush.

"Oh..." Michael unfolded his arms, suddenly looking tired. "I get it now."

"I-I told him it was just practice for a date I have tomorrow," I whispered, still staring at my hands folded in my lap, "but... it wasn't."

Michael ran a hand over his face. "Ella are you kidding me right now? Why on earth did you say that?"

"I don't know!" I looked up suddenly, angry. "Why did he freaking kiss me? Everything was going just fine with us. I didn't ask for this, I never wanted him to like me! Why is this my fault? Sure, I was stupid, but I said what I said, okay? I panicked. Just give me a break!"

"How? How am I supposed to just "give you a break" Ella?" Michael yelled. "I'm in the middle of everything now! I didn't ask to be here either, but guess what, I am. So please stop throwing your little tantrum and help me fix this okay?"

"Fix what? I have nothing to say. I don't like Nate like that. What am I supposed to do? Pretend? I have my own life, Michael. I can't live while always dancing around Nate's precious sensitive feelings! I DON'T LIKE HIM LIKE THAT!"

Michael stared at me, his eyes searching my face. Then he said quietly, "Then why did you want him to kiss you?"

I stopped cold. "How do you know I even wanted him to?"

"I know for a fact that there is no way you would have let _anybody _kiss you unless you wanted them to." Michael almost smiled. "I at least know you that well."

I pulled my knees up to my chin and stared at the ground. I didn' t know what to say. He was right.

"Why did _he_ want to kiss _me_?" I finally said.

"Because he really, really cares about you Ella." Michael came and sat beside me, talking earnestly. "Everybody can see it but you. Since he met you he's never even looked at another girl. You guys have something special. If I was you, I wouldn't throw it away over some stupid fight. Because beyond everything else, right now, your friendship is the most important thing."

I glanced at him. "When did you get so all knowing and wise?"

He grinned. "Hey, I have my moments. But if you ever tell anyone we had this conversation, you're dead."

I laughed. "Alright. But just for the record, girls like the sensitive types."

Michael laughed too, then said quietly. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm..I'm..." I hesitated. "Right now, I'm going to take a walk." When Michael looked confused I said, "You know, breathe in some fresh air, clear my head. After that... I guess we'll see."

Michael nodded. "Okay. I guess that's good for now."

I started to get up from the couch, then paused. "And Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks... and I'm sorry about everything."

He smiled. "It's cool. And me too."

I hugged him quickly, then said, "So I'll catch you later?"

"Yeah alright. I'm out." He gave me one last smile and walked out the door.

I walked slowly to the kitchen, thinking about what Michael had said. Did Nate really care about me that much? I remembered his words from earlier. _"..__I spent three years of my life praying you'd kiss me like that..." _Had I really been that oblivious for that long? I shook my head to clear it. Plenty of time to think about that and other things while I was walking.

I got a piece of paper and jotted down a quick note to my dad telling him what I was doing, then left the house and headed up the street. As I walked I thought again of Nate, then Michael, and lastly of the letter I had found in my dad's desk. I had had no idea that my dad had ever proposed to anyone but my mom. Let alone that he had been rejected. _Rejected. _The word brought me back around to Nate and his sad eyes. My own eyes began to water but I but I swiped the tears away, exasperated with myself. I was a mess. I took a deep breath.  
>So much had happened in such a short time. First Stephen and the rest of the Leveretts making their sudden appearance on my doorstep. Then, agreeing to go out on a date with Stephen, and Nate's reaction. Then kissing Nate, and the mysterious letter. Then my argument with Michael. My mind reeled.<p>

Suddenly, I heard the whizz of wheels on pavement and a cry of "Watch out!". The next second, I was lying on the sidewalk, trying to replace all the air that had just been smacked out of me. _What is with me getting knocked over today? _

"Are you okay?" I opened my eyes to see a guy standing over me, his hand extended to help me up. I took it and felt myself pulled to my feet.

"Uh, yeah, I think so." I rubbed my head, then my sore elbow.

"Oh crap." The stranger said.

"What?"

He pointed silently to my elbow. I pulled my hand away to find blood on it.

"You've got a gash on your elbow." He moved closer to examine it but I moved away. He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you stupid. I just want to see it. You might need a bandage."

"Oh so now _I'm_ stupid? You're the one who just ran into me on your skateboard."

"You were in the way."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you owned this entire sidewalk."

"Just let me see your arm."

I pulled away from him again. "No!"

"Why?"

"It hurts!" I said, before I thought.

"Well, that's usually what happens when you tear skin off your body." Mystery Guy said. "Listen, I don't care what happens to you or your precious elbow, but I don't want to get sued when it gets infected and your parents think I tried to kill you. So let me see it. I have a first aid kit in my backpack, so I can put a bandage on it."

"Fine." I extended my arm.  
>He looked it over, his face surprisingly serious. "Yeah, I think it could use a bandage. I have some disinfectant spray too. It's nothing too bad though."<p>

As he bent to fish the stuff out of his backpack, I studied him. He didn't look like the type who carried around first aid kits in their backpacks. He had black hair and a nose piercing and was wearing a black t-shirt with some rock band name printed on it that I didn't know. He was obviously older than me, but I could tell he was also just tall. But what really caught your eye when you looked at him were his eyes. They were almost aqua colored, a vibrant greeny blue.

"Why do you have first aid stuff in your backpack?" I asked curiously as he skillfully applied the bandage and disinfectant.

He scowled at me. "My mom makes me carry it with me when I skateboard. She's convinced I'm going to kill myself one of these days." He finished and smirked. "There. Done."

"Thanks." I continued to watch him.

"What?" He said, shifting awkwardly.

"You look familiar somehow. What's your name?"

"Alex. But I don't think you know me. I just moved here." He quirked an eyebrow at me. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Well excuse me for living. What made you so touchy anyways?"

"Life."

"Of course." I said dryly. Then I added, "My name's Ella."

He shrugged. "Doesn't mean anything to me."

"I just thought you might want to know. Since I know your name." I said, annoyed at him.

"Well I don't. Oh by the way, this picture fell out of your pocket when you fell." He pulled the picture of Nate out of the pocket of his skinny jeans and handed it over. "Thought you might want it."

I stared down at the picture, and sudden memories of what had happened earlier filled my mind. Before I knew it, a single tear had slid down my cheek.

"Woah, are you crying?" Alex stared at me, his eyes incredulous.

"Um, no..." I said. I sniffed and turned away to wipe away the tears but Alex turned me back around.

"Um, yes, you are." He studied me. "What's wrong?"

"I thought you were leaving."

"Yeah, but I can't just leave you sobbing on the sidewalk."

"Well, I'm good now," I said, trying to hide the fact that I was still sniffling, "so you can go."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Yeah I can see you're perfectly fine."

"Like I'm going to talk about my personal life to some random stranger." I shook my head. "No way."

"Fine, we won't talk about you and your boyfriend."

"He's NOT my boyfriend." I said forcefully.

"Okay, we won't talk about your crush then."

"He's not my crush either." I said, sighing.

"But he wishes he was." Alex said.

I looked up, startled. He laughed. "I'm right aren't I?" I nodded silently. "See, we're not strangers anymore. Now come on, I'll walk you home before you have another horrible accident."

I furrowed my brow. "Why do you even care about this, about me?"

He paused. "Let's just say I know how it feels to need someone to talk to."

I bit my lip. This was such a weird situation. But then again, the entire day had been filled with weird situations. And as strange as it appeared to be, I felt weirdly at ease with this random guy. Like we were old friends.

"Are you coming or not?"

I smiled. "Yeah. I'm coming."

_AN: Thanks for reading guys! Please continue to review and tell me what you think so far. This coming week is pretty busy for me, but I promise I'll try to update as soon as possible. Thanks for being patient! _


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Hey everybody! So, I want to apologize for it taking me this long to post chapter 7. I've been so busy lately! Trust me, I know how it feels to be anxiously waiting for the next chapter of one of your favorite stories, so I'll try my hardest not to keep you waiting that long again, but I can't make any promises. Also, I can't BELIEVE this story has gotten fifteen reviews so far. You guys are so great, please keep it up! Your reviews are what motivates me to write. On to other news, Sophbells, your namesake character will be appearing for the first time in this chapter! I hope you like her. ValzBrownie, I can't say for sure when your character will come into the story, but I promise she will come in at some point. Anyway, enjoy chapter seven! _

"I'm sorry Stephen. But I can't do this." I released the breath I had been holding and relaxed for the first time all day. At least now it was out there.

Stephen stared at me. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, I can't go out with you today." I twisted my hands together awkwardly, then folded my arms, trying to appear firm and decided.

"Why?" Stephen looked dumbstruck.

"It's not you," I said, falling back on tried and true words to pull me through, "it's me." Stephen raised his eyebrows. "See, I had this fight with a... a friend. And I really don't think I should be going out right now. At least not until I deal with it?"

"What happened?" Stephen put his hand on my arm, his face concerned.

"It's personal." Without thinking I brushed his hand away. Realizing that sounded harsh, I continued. "I mean, it really involves some personal stuff with this friend of mine, so I don't think I should tell you. I'm really sorry, I know this sounds lame..."

Stephen shook his head, as if trying to clear it. "No, no, it's okay. I mean, this has never really happened to me before. I'm not usually the type to get stood up while standing on a girl's porch. But," he stared at me, a faint smile on his lips, "if there is any girl I have to have new experiences with, I'd love for it to be you."

I laughed. "Thanks for understanding."

Stephen glanced behind him at the car in front of the house, it's engine still running. "I guess I'll have to tell my Uncle we're going home instead of going out to lunch."

"Your uncle?" I said, surprised.

"Yeah, he was going to drive us." Stephen awkwardly looked away. "I don't really, uh, have my license yet. Plus my mom always insists on a chaperone." He flushed.

I smiled. "I get it. My dad's the king of parental supervision."

Stephen turned to go, then paused and turned back, grinning. "You know, Uncle Ryan knew your dad in highschool. I think he was actually kind of looking forward to seeing him again. You think it would be okay if we just came in to see him?"

I avoided getting lost in Stephen's mischievous eyes with effort, and smiled. "I'm sure he'd love that."

"Alright then." Stephen walked down the porch steps and out to the car. After a few moments of conversation, the car engine shut off and they both walked back towards me.

"Hey! I'm Ryan Evans, Stephen's uncle. You can just call me Ryan though." Ryan put out his hand for me to shake, his smile warm and friendly.

I took it, amazed. He seemed so nice and genuine. Totally unlike Sharpay or Michelle. Or even Stephen, I had to admit. The Leveretts looked airbrushed. But Ryan looked real.

"It's nice to meet you." I smiled back at him. "I hear you used to go to school with my dad."

"Yeah, he's a great guy. We didn't really run in the same circles until junior year though. After your mom started going to our school though, everything changed."

I stared at him. "My mom never went to East High. She didn't even live here till she came here with my dad after they were married in college."

Ryan looked startled. "Wait, your mother isn't Gabriella Montez?"

I barely held in a gasp. So what I had thought was the truth. My dad's mystery girl, the Gabriella in the letter, WAS Miss Montez. This was a huge development. But all I said was, "No."

"Wow." Ryan looked completely surprised. "So Troy didn't marry Gabriella. I thought they were meant for eachother."

Stephen elbowed Ryan in the ribs and said in a loud whisper, "Her mom died."

"Oh." Ryan turned red. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. She died when I was just a baby. How could you have known?" I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"Ryan? Is that you?" I turned to find my dad standing at the door.

"Troy! Hey!" Ryan moved forward and stuck out his hand. My dad swung open the door and shook it.

"Wow, I had no idea you were in town! Oh, that's right the great East High reunion. For a moment I forgot." My dad grinned.

"Yeah, thought I should come home, awkwardly talk to some people who don't really remember me at all from highschool. You know how it is." Ryan chuckled.

"You're preaching to the choir. Why don't you come inside and we can all sit down and visit. You too Stephen." My dad included him in his smile.

"Well actually..." Ryan said, glancing at Stephen and I, "the kids were going to go out to lunch but I understand something came up..." I looked down, but didn't comment. "So," Ryan finished, "maybe we could all go together?"

"That sounds great Uncle Ryan." Stephen grinned at me than nodded respectfully at my dad. "If you have time sir."

"Yeah sure, sounds great. Just let me go grab my jacket..." my dad disappeared, then returned holding his jacket and a red leather book.

Ryan glanced at it. "The East High Yearbook: Class of 2008! I can't believe you still have that!"

My dad grinned. "How could I throw away all of these priceless memories. Not to mention the blackmail." He locked the door and then opened the book, skimming through the pages till he found what he was looking for. Ryan looked at the page he pointed to and cringed, even while he laughed.

"What is it?" Stephen reached out to take the yearbook from my dad but his uncle swatted his hand away.

"We should get to the restaurant. Plenty of time to see my most embarrassing photos collection then."

I laughed. "That bad, huh?"

Ryan smiled at me. "You have no idea."

I smiled back at him as we all headed to his car. He seemed nice, especially compared to Sharpay. But even so, should I go out to dinner with them? After what had happened with Nate? I remembered talking with Alex and his final words on the situation as we stood on my porch. _"Look, I know you may not like Nate in that way, but you've got to allow him some time to heal. Then you guys can talk and work everything out. But right now what Nate _doesn't _need to see is you heading out to dinner with some guy like everything is fine. If I were you, I wouldn't go." _

I shook my head. Alex had been surprisingly sweet and understanding, even if his blunt speeches stung a little bit. _But this isn't a date, _I reminded myself. _We're all just going to lunch together. It's not the same thing. _

But as Stephen opened my car door for me and grinned, I had to wonder if _he _knew it wasn't the same thing...

...

"Are you alright?" Stephen stared at me. "You've been acting kind of weird ever since they seated us."

I forced myself to look at him and smile. "Yeah, sorry, everything's fine." _I'm just feeling incredibly guilty for sitting here with you, at our own private table, while my best guy friend is sitting at home with a broken heart. _I glanced over at my dad and Ryan, who were sitting at a table across the room. It had been pretty crowded when we arrived and the waitress had been forced to seat us at two seperate tables that were no where near eachother. They were laughing and talking easily. _At least they're having a good time. _

"Alright, if you're sure." Stephen leaned back in his chair, and smiled his adorable smile at me. "Did any one ever tell you you look great in yellow?"

I looked down at my lacy yellow tank top and blushed. "No, but thanks. You look great too." I started to feel a little bit better.

Stephen laughed. "I hope so. My agent is always getting after me to work out and use the latest care products and stuff."

"Wait... your agent?"

"Yeah." Stephen stretched casually and tossed his hair. If it had been any other guy I would have laughed at his self-absorbed expression, but Stephen could pull it off. "I'm a model."

"Oh my gosh." I tried not to sound as impressed as I felt, and failed completely. "Really?"

"Yeah." He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a folded clipping from a magazine. He unfolded it and pushed it across the table at me. "See?"

I picked it up and tried not to gasp. The picture was of Stephen standing shirtless in front of a red brick wall. His blue eyes gleamed at me from out of the photo. I swallowed hard. He looked G-O-O-D.

Stephen grinned. "You like that? Here," he took the picture back and pulled a pen out of his pocket, "I'll sign it for you."

"Uh, okay," I said, still a little bit shellshocked.

He finished writing with a flourish and pushed the picture back over. I looked at what he had written.

_Ella, _

_You wouldn't believe what that looks like in person;) _

_Love, _

_Stephen Leverett _

I blushed. Stephen laughed. "It's okay babe, I make everybody a little starstruck."

I started to laugh too, then realized he was serious.

"Good afternoon, I'm Alex, and I'll be your waiter today." A slightly bored voice said above my head.

I jumped and looked up. "Alex?"

He blinked, surprised. "Ella? Hey!" Almost immediately he turned to Stephen. "Hey, I'm Alex. I'm a friend of Ella's. And you must be Na-"

"This is Stephen." I said quickly.

Alex turned his head and raised an eyebrow at me, then shook Stephen's hand. "Hey Stephen."

"Hey, Alex." Stephen smiled good naturedly. "Any friend of Ella's is a friend of mine."

"Ah, right." Alex's mouth twitched, as if hiding a smile. "And, uh, what can I get for you two today?"

"Well, uh," I laughed nervously, "really there's four of us here. My dad and Stephen's uncle are over there at that other table. We're just here for kind of a.. reunion lunch. Then when we got here they didn't have enough seats so they seated us at these two tables and we didn't want to cause trouble so we just sat here even though we all came together so it isn't just us two at all. At all." I sat back suddenly, realizing I had been babbling. Stephen was staring at me. Alex looked like he was about to laugh aloud.

"Uh, I mean... I'll have a chicken sandwich please. Extra mayo. And an iced tea." I said softly, feeling myself flush.

"Ummm... yeah. I'll have the same. Only no extra mayo and bring me a diet coke." Stephen said slowly, staring at me as if I were insane.

"Got it." Alex coughed/laughed and moved away from our table.

"What was that all about?" Stephen asked.

"Um. Nothing." I said, glaring at Alex's retreating back.

"Right. Okay. Whatever." Stephen smiled. "You know, so far, everything about you has been so... unpredictable."

"Yeah." I bit my lip. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's okay. I like it."

"Aw, thanks." I said quickly. I was looking around for Alex so I could really explain why I was here with Stephen and not Nate. I spotted him standing by the counter at the front and glanced at Stephen. "Would you excuse me a minute? I've got to run... uh, use the restroom."

"Sure." Stephen nodded. "I promise not to eat your fries if our food comes."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Yeah right." I pushed back my chairnand walked quickly toward the bathrooms. At the last second I turned and almost ran into Alex.

"Hey!" He said, then saw who it was and smiled. "Oh, you again. Why are you always running into me?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'll ignore that ridiculous statement for the sake of time. Stephen's waiting for me."

"Oh yes, Stephen." Alex studied me. "I get the idea that you're not overjoyed to be here with him."

"Well, I'm happy to be here. I just feel like I shouldn't be here." I sighed. "I cancelled our date, but then we were all going to go to lunch together, and then there were no free tables..."

"Yeah," Alex laughed. "I got that part from your awkward babbling."

I glared at him. "Oh, shut up. You need to say something incredibly helpful here."

"I don't know what I can say. It's none of my business, you didn't need to explain it to me."

"Oh, and have you standing here, judging me from afar."

Alex's eyes darkened for a moment. "I wouldn't judge you. That's not me."

"Oh." I stopped, surprised at his serious tone of voice.

Suddenly I heard a voice behind us. "Alex? Alex! Tables 3, 8, and 1 need fresh drinks and dessert menus. You can talk on your own time." I turned to see a slightly angry looking middle-aged woman glaring at Alex.

Alex sighed. "Sorry Mary, I'll get right on it."

Quickly I said, "I'm sorry, it was my fault. I just needed to talk to him for a second. I should have realized he was busy."

Suddenly a pretty blonde waitress who had seen what was happening piped in, "Mary, I can cover Alex's tables for awhile if he needs to talk to his friend."

Mary frowned and Alex said quickly, "You don't need to do that Sophia. We were just finished."

"It's fine." Sophia smiled at him. "I'd love to do it."

Alex smiled back at her, almost shyly. I tried not to stare.

"Well, hurry up anyway." Mary said and turned away.

Sophia walked over to us. "Don't mind her, she's just stressed, as usual." She put out her hand to me. "I'm Sophia by the way."

"Hey!" I smiled. "I'm Ella."

Alex looked embarrassed. "Hey, you really didn't have to cover for me. We really were about done."

"Hey." Sophia put her hand on Alex's arm. He stared down at it, his cheeks turning a little red. "I'm happy to do it."

"Uh, well, okay but I-I owe you one." Alex said, slowly.

Sophia laughed. "How about you buy me a milkshake tomorrow and we'll call it even, okay?"

"Uh, sure." Alex smiled.

"Well I better go before Mary has a seizure. It was nice meeting you Ella!" Sophia turned and walked away.

"Woah." I said, staring at Alex.

"What?" he said, sounding a little annoyed.

"You like her! You totally beyond a shadow of a doubt really really like her!"

"SHUT UP!" Alex turned beet red and stared down at his feet.

"Alex! She seems like a great girl. Why don't you just ask her out?" I smiled at his awkwardness.

He sighed and shrugged. "She goes to a really nice college in the area."

"So? What's the problem?"

"So the problem is that we're both nineteen and we live in two completely different worlds. I'm not even in college. While she's writing papers, I'm skateboarding. She wouldn't go out with me if someone paid her to do it. And I don't blame her."

"Oh." I said softly. "But Alex," I insisted after a moment, "she's into you. I can tell."

Alex raised his head a bit, smiling slowly. "She is?"

"Yes!" I paused a moment. "Why aren't you in college?"

His smile faded. "It's complicated. My mom... well, she was sick for awhile. We didn't have a lot of money to begin with and doctors bills cost a lot. We're pretty strapped for cash right now, at least until my mom starts her new job. I want to go to medical school, but my grades aren't good enough for a full scholarship and we can't afford anything else." He sighed. "I'm just trying to save up enough. But I can't worry my mom about it. She's had enough crap in her life already."

"Oh Alex..." I bit my lip. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." Alex shrugged, obviously uncomfortable. "I gotta get back to work." He turned to go, then stopped. "Here," he said, writing something down on his order pad and then handing it to me, "here's my number. I have unlimited texting, so, you know, text me if you want."

I smiled at him. "Okay. Here's mine." I recited it off to him then impulsively reached out and hugged him. He pulled away, looking surprised, and a little embarrassed.

"Take care of yourself Ella. Bye."

"Bye, Alex." I said. Thoughtfully, I walked back to our table. Stephen sat there fiddling with his food.

"Hey, did you enjoy your chat?" He looked a little annoyed.

I blushed. "Sorry, but I needed to talk to him for a minute."

He shrugged. "It's okay." His goodnatured smile reappeared. "I just don't like having all this competition."

I almost laughed out loud. "Alex? Competition? You're way off. Alex is just a friend."

Stephen's smile grew. "That's the best news I've heard all day."

I smiled back at him and took a drink of my iced tea. Just then I saw Stephen glance over my shoulder and stare towards the doorway of the restaurant. Confused, I glanced behind me and then gasped. Standing there in the doorway, his arm casually draped around Michelle Leverett's tanned shoulders, was, of all people, Nate.

_AN: So what do you think so far? Please review and let me know! _


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: Hey everybody! First, thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them and I always read each and every one. Since you had such a long wait on the last chapter I made myself sit down and write out another one for you guys! Sorry this one is a little on the short side, but I promise the next chapter will be longer. Enjoy chapter eight! _

"Nate?" I choked on my iced tea and started coughing. I saw Nate glance over. He didn't look surprised to see me. In fact I could have sworn I saw a satisfied smile on his lips for a moment.

"Michelle?" Stephen didn't even notice my hacking. He stood up as they walked over, his eyebrows raised.

"Hey Stephen." Michelle said cooly. Then she looked at me and smirked. I had finally stopped coughing, but my mind was still reeling. _Michelle and Nate? _My brain refused to process it.

Nate didn't smile as he looked at me. "Hey Ella."

"Nate..." I said slowly and smiled tentatively. He looked away.

Stephen seemed to have recovered his composure. "Are you guys waiting for a table?"

"Yes, we are." Michelle smiled adoringly at Nate and batted her eyelashes. "Nate wanted the table by the window for our date."

"Your... date?" I said aloud, my voice incredulous.

Michelle shot me a glare. "Yes, _date_."

Nate, glancing back and forth between me and Stephen, said quietly, "Looks like you're pretty familiar with the word."

I glanced down at the table, embarrassed. I heard Stephen clear his throat. "Uh, well, actually we're just all at lunch. Ella cancell-"

My head snapped up and I saw Nate staring at me, looking smug. _I can't let him think I canceled because of him. Not after he was such a jerk and brought Michelle here to rub her in my face. _

"Stephen sweetie, what are you talking about?" I cut him off, smiling sweetly in his direction. "Of course it's a date!" I reached across the table and placed my hand on his arm. He stared at me.

"Ummm..." Stephen paused then looked back and forth between Nate and I. I held my breath. "Oh, uh, yes. Sorry I just wanted to make sure you were okay with telling... everyone." Stephen flashed me a grin and winked at me. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Nate's smile faded. "Right. Well Michelle," he pulled her closer to his side and rubbed her shoulder possessively, "we'd better go back to waiting for our table."

"Why don't you just sit with us until your table's ready?" Stephen asked, smiling warmly.

"NO!" I said quickly, then blushed as they all stared at me. "I mean, sweetie, they probably want to sit by themselves."

"Oh come on, they'd just be standing there." Stephen gestured to me. "You can come over here and sit by me and Michelle and Nate can sit on the other side. It'll be perfect."

I smiled, feeling numb. "Uh, yeah, right. Perfect."

Michelle smiled up at Nate, then pushed out her lip in a pout at his reluctant expression. "Come on Nate, it'll be fun!" I felt my stomach twist.

"Fine." He sighed and waited while I pulled my food to the other side of the booth and slid in beside Stephen. "After you milady." He said, smiling flirtatiously at Michelle.

"Oooo, thank you sir." She batted her eyelashes again and sat down. Nate sat beside her and immediately put his arm around her. She sighed happily.

I turned to Stephen smiling, "Thanks so much for asking me to come here today Stephen. This has been so much fun."

Stephen smiled and casually put his arm around me. "Anything for you Ella."

Nate scowled. I smiled at him, a little too sweetly and said, "Nate, you shouldn't make faces like that when you're out with such a gorgeous girl. Tell me," I leaned forward, hidden sarcasm in my voice, "what's your _favorite _thing about Michelle?"

Nate paled. "Uh... well, let's see." Michelle simpered and smiled at him. He laughed nervously. "There's just so many things." He paused then looked straight at me and said, "She knows what she wants. Never sends mixed signals or lies to cover things up. I would hate it if a girl did that."

Michelle giggled as I stared down at the food on my plate, awkward. Nate smiled at Stephen and said, "Well Stephen, while we're asking questions, what's your favorite thing about Ella?"

Stephen didn't hesitate. "She's so unpredictable. It keeps life interesting. But I know interesting isn't for everybody. Which is good for me." He leaned over and kissed my cheek. I blushed as Nate sat back, looking furious.

Michelle frowned at her brother, then tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I hope they get our table ready soon." She snuggled against Nate and laid her head on his shoulder. "Then our date can really begin."

"Mmmmhmmm." Nate smiled triumphantly at me. I felt something inside me snap. _Who does Michelle think she is? All over him like that? She doesn't even know him! _

"Stephen?" I stood suddenly to my feet. "I think we should go."

Stephens eyes widened. "Right now?"

"Yes. Right now." I stared at Nate and Michelle and was surprised when my eyes began to fill with tears. Mortified, I tried to brush them away quickly, but Nate noticed.

"Ella, are you alright?"

"I don't feel very well." I said stiffly. "But I don't think there's anything _you _can do _Nathaniel_." My voice was icy. "Enjoy your date. Goodbye."

"Uh, I'll see you guys." Stephen said awkwardly. He pulled out his wallet and threw a few bucks on the table for the tip. "Bye."

I walked over to my dad and Ryan who had been watching what was happening. My dad looked concerned. "Are you alright baby girl?"

I smiled a small smile and nodded. "I just don't feel very well. I'm sorry to interrupt lunch, but can we go?"

Ryan smiled. "Of course. It's no problem."

I glanced behind me at the table we had just left. Michelle was giggling happily but Nate was staring at us all, his eyes sad.

**Text from Alex 8:15 PM**

**R u alright? I saw u leave the restaurant. U looked upset.**

I lay back against the pillows on my bed and stared down at my phone, wondering how much I should tell him.

**Message sent: **

**It was nothing. Nate came in with Michelle, that's all. **

**Text from Alex 8:19 PM**

**Who's Michelle? **

**Message sent: **

**Stephens sister. Nate n her were on a date I guess. **

**Text from Alex 8:21 PM **

**Is that a big deal 4 u? **

**Message sent: **

**Of course it's a big deal! Y do u ask? **

**Text from Alex 8:24 PM**

**Well, u don't like him. So y should it matter if he dates Michelle? **

I rolled my eyes, annoyed that he wasn't getting it.

**Message sent:**

**I wouldn't care if he really liked her and dated her. But he just did it to make me jealous. **

**Text from Alex 8:27 PM**

**But y are u jealous? **

**Message sent: **

**She was all over him! She acted like she owned him or something... **

**Text from Alex 8:30 PM **

**So? If u really didn't like him then u probably wouldn't care. **

**Message sent: **

**He deserves a better girl than Michelle. She's all wrong 4 him. **

**Text from Alex 8:32 PM **

**Alright, let's play a game. Name a girl u would be ok with Nate dating. **

**Message sent:  
>IDK. Do I really have to do this? <strong>

**Text from Alex 8:35 PM **

**Yes. Just try. **

**Message sent:**

**I can't... **

**Text from Alex 8:37 PM **

**Y not? **

I swallowed hard, embarrassed by the truth.

**Message sent:**

**Because I can't think of anyone. **

**Message sent:**

**BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING! **

**Text from Alex 8:40 PM **

**R u sure? **

I stared at the phone in my hands. Was I?

**Message sent:**

**Yes. Maybe. **

**Text from Alex 8:43 PM**

**Riiiight. Ok well I g2g. Sry. But just think about that ok? **

**Message sent:**

**Ok I will. Bye:) **

**Text from Alex 8:45 PM **

**Bye:) **

I leaned back on my pillows again and sighed. Ever since Nate and I had kissed things had gotten so complicated. _Not that they weren't complicated before, _I thought, thinking of Miss Montez a.k.a Gabriella.

Thinking of Miss Montez and my dad's little mystery made me think of the play. I wondered how Nate was feeling about the fact that we were still playing opposite eachother in it. I picked up my phone again and decided to text Michael and try to find out.

**Message sent:**

**Hey:) **

**Text from Michael 8:52 PM **

**Hey:D Wuts up? **

**Message sent:**

**Nothing much. I wondered if you had seen Nate 2day. **

**Text from Michael 8:55 PM **

**No, but he texted me. He said he saw u with Stephen. **

**Message sent: **

**It wasn't what it looked like. Btw, why was he there with Michelle? **

**Text from Michael 8:58 PM**

**I think he was trying to teach u a lesson. But he said he didn't mean to make u as upset as u were. **

**Message sent: **

**I wasn't upset. **

**Text from Michael 8:59 PM **

**Right. Whatever.**

**Message sent: **

**Did he mention the play? **

**Text from Michael 9:02 PM **

**Yeah...**

**Message sent: **

**What'd he say? **

**Message sent: **

**U there? **

**Text from Michael 9:12 PM **

**Yeah, but ur not going to like this...**

**Message sent: **

**Uh oh... **

**Text from Michael 9:13 PM**

**He's dropping out. **

I gasped. Nate was dropping out of the play?

**Message sent:  
>Y?<strong>

**Text from Michael 9:16 **

**He said he was 2 busy. **

**Message sent: **

**What? He wasn't 2 busy when we auditioned! **

**Text from Michael 9:18 PM **

**He doesn't want to do the play because of u ok? He said he can't act like he's in love with u onstage. **

**Message sent: **

**What, y? **

**Text from Michael 9:21 PM **

**Because... he is. **

**Message sent: **

**Is what?  
><strong>

**Text from Michael 9:24 PM **

**In love with you. **

I dropped my cellphone as if had burned me and jumped off my bed, shaking. _No, no, no Nate. Don't do this. You're not in love with me. You're not. We're friends. _

**Text from Michael 9:26 PM **

**Ella... this is Nate. Michael let me use his phone when he saw you were texting him. **

I stared down at the text message, my cheeks burning. I had been texting Nate this whole time?

**Text from Michael 9:32 PM **

**I'm sorry I didn't mean to trick you I just needed to talk to you, and you wouldn't have answered if you thought it was me. **

**Text from Michael 9:35 PM **

**Ella? Please answer me...**

**Text from Michael 9:38 PM **

**Ella? Hello? **

Without thinking I automatically reached down and hit the power button on my phone. I grabbed a hoodie out of my closet and threw it on. I jammed my feet into some flip flops and ran out of my room and out of my house. I needed to get out, get away from it all for awhile, and just breathe. I continued running, not paying attention to where I was going or where I was heading. I stumbled once, but kept going, plunging into the darkness, breathing hard, putting distance between me and my problems.

Finally I slowed down and stopped, breathing hard. _Nate's in love with me. _I shivered. The thought scared me. But more than even the thought scared me was the reaction I'd had to it. For a second I had been happy. Too happy. It was scary to feel so happy about someone loving you, particularly when that person was your best friend. When it could never work.

I sighed and looked around, still breathing heavily. After a second, sick dread filled my stomach as I realized I had no idea where I was. The neighborhood looked worn and shabby, different from my suburban street. I pulled my hoodie closer about my shoulders and reached for my phone to call my dad. He would be worried.

Suddenly I gasped as I realized I had left my phone on my bed**, **with the power off no less. I groaned and shivered again. I found myself wishing for Nate, for his arms around me, protecting me from danger, but I shrugged that picture away with effort and tried to picture Stephen instead. It didn't work.

I turned to walk down the street the way I had come, hoping to find my way back by chance. I heard a car behind me and my spine tensed as I remembered all the stories I had ever heard about girls getting kidnapped or worse on dark nights in bad parts of town. The car slowed and I felt my breath catch in my throat as my heart skipped a beat. I squeezed my eyes shut and tensed my body, ready to run. Suddenly I heard a familiar voice say "Ella? Is that you?"

_AN: Lot's of drama in this chapter! What did you think? Sorry if the text message part was a little confusing, I wanted to make it realistic while still making it readable. Hope it worked out okay. Also, for those of you who might be wondering, I PROMISE more of the original cast of characters will be coming into the story soon. Oh, and sorry for any continuity goofs in this story, I'm trying to keep track of everything I say and make everything match up but it gets difficult sometimes. Again thanks for the reviews, your opinions and praise actually do help me to write a better story. I have a lot of exciting chapters planned, lots of twists to our story coming soon, so keep coming back for more! Also, keep reviewing, hopefully soon you guys will break the record of reviews on one chapter of this story. (Which is four so don't worry it won't be that hard!:). Thanks for reading! _


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: Soooo I may have lied a little bit. This chapter is also a little short. But it covers a lot. It was one of my favorite chapters to write so far, so I hope you like it! This chapter is dedicated to everyone who reviewed on the LAST chapter, you motivated me to sit down and write out another chapter for you guys. Also, I would like to put out there that of the four reviews on the past chapter, three were from people who have never reviewed this story before! Which is amazing! Thanks for taking time to do that! Every single one of you guys who reviews, whether for the first time or the fifth, are so freaking awesome! :D Anyway, enjoy chapter nine! _

"Thanks for giving me a ride home." I sat back in my seat and sighed with relief before turning to smile at my rescuer.

Miss Montez smiled back. "I'm glad I came by." She paused then said, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why were you out alone so late?"

I sighed. "I just... needed to get out of the house for awhile I guess."

"I see." Miss Montez said quietly.

I stared down at my hands in my lap, feeling awkward.

Miss Montez said, "You know Ella, my mother and I weren't very close growing up."

I started. "What?"

Miss Montez pulled over to one side of the road and switched off the engine. "I said, my mother and I weren't very close growing up."

"Oh." I wasn't sure how to respond. "I'm sorry."

"I always felt like she had an agenda where I was concerned, like I could never do enough to truly make her happy. We moved around a lot all through my childhood, and even into my teen years. I was constantly uprooted and transplanted, just so she could keep her job. She was so busy, all the time. It almost seemed like she was too busy even for me." Miss Montez sighed. "I guess eventually I grew to resent her."

"What happened?" I said, not knowing what else to say.

Miss Montez turned to look at me. She studied me sadly for a moment then said, "She died Ella. She died when I was just twenty years old."

I gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

"It was alright. I got to see her one last time. We talked all day, me sitting beside her hospital bed holding her hand. We talked about everything, all the things we'd never had time to say to eachother. That night when I went home she squeezed my hand, told me she loved me and that I was the best daughter she could have asked for. That was the last time I ever saw her."

I didn't say a word. I couldn't. My eyes were filled with unshed tears and my throat felt raw. Miss Montez continued, not seeing my tears. "Ever since that day at a million different times throughout my life I've wished I had my mother to talk to. To confide in. To pour my heart out to." She looked at me and said gently, "Ella, I don't know what it is, but I can tell something's wrong. Don't shut out the people who love you most like I did. Let people in, let them help you."

I let the tears fall. "My mother died when I was just one and a half."

Miss Montez's face was filled with sympathy. "Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry." She pulled me into a hug as I cried, harder than I had in a long time.

"I never knew her, I never even knew what she was like!" My voice broke, but for once I didn't care. "People don't realize, they don't understand. I'll never come home and see her standing at the door waiting for me. I'll never get to hug her or bake cookies with her or laugh with her. She's just... gone. And I never even got to know for sure if...if..." I stumbled over my words, my breathing ragged and my voice hoarse.

Miss Montez said gently, "What sweetie?"

"If she loved me." I said simply.

"Ella, she did love you." Miss Montez nodded, her voice sure.

"How do you know?" I said, wiping my eyes.

"Because you were a part of her. You were her own flesh and blood. You were every single one of her hopes and dreams in human form. You were her child." Miss Montez smiled at me. "And you were her everything."

My sobs had quieted now, I sat back in my seat, tears still slipping down my cheeks, but slowly now. "But she's gone. And if she can love me that much and then leave..." I sighed, thinking of Nate, "anyone can."

"Oh Ella." Miss Montez sighed. "I know how it is to feel alone. But your mother did not choose to leave you. Now, I can't pretend that people won't ever let you down. There will be people in your life who _do _choose to leave you. And it will hurt. It will hurt a lot. But if you spend your life pushing away everyone who could get close enough to hurt you, you'll never know what it's like to really be loved by someone who _could _leave but _chooses _not to because you mean more to them than you can ever truly understand."

I stared at her, thinking of the letter she had written to my dad all those years ago. "Didn't you ever leave someone you loved Miss Montez?"

She looked down suddenly. "Yes," she said quietly, "I had to once. But it was for their own good."

I sighed, letting it go. "Miss Montez-"

She stopped me. "Ella, I'd love it if you'd called me Gabriella. If you'd like to."

I smiled at her. "Thanks Gabriella." I paused for a moment. "I really messed up with Nate."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"We kissed." I said slowly, surprised the words came more easily this time. "And later he told me he loved me. But... I don't know what to think."

"Oh, I see. Is that the reason he dropped out of the play?"

My heart sank. "Did he already call you about that? Yes, that's the reason." I sighed again. "I don't know what to do. I feel like I can never be the same around him. Ever since we kissed it's like... I feel weird about it all."

She nodded. "Do you like him?"

"I don't know." I said honestly. "I thought I didn't but when I saw him with another girl, something just... snapped."

"Can I ask you something?" Gabriella said. I nodded. "What's your favorite thing about Nate?"

I smiled. "His voice. Every time I hear it, it's like... I'm not alone anymore, you know? I'm safe." I paused, then continued. "On second thought, maybe it's his eyes. When he looks at me and smiles, I feel like he can see straight through me. But I don't mind."

"What color are his eyes?"

"Brown."

"What's his favorite color?"

"Green."

"Does he have a favorite color on you?"

"Blue. He says it goes with my eyes."

"What's the nicest thing he's ever said to you ?"

I smiled again. "I think it was one time when we were at my birthday party. I was turning thirteen ad he took me aside and gave me an envelope and told me to open it. There was just a piece of paper inside, and I was kind of disappointed. But then I realized it was a certificate for a star named after me. He said he got it because it reminded him of me. He said no matter where I went I was always shining and beautiful." I paused, surprised at how much the memory meant to me. "It was the best present I've ever gotten."

"Why was it the best?" Gabriella said.

"Because, it was from him." I said, then gasped. "I can't believe I just said that."

Gabriella started the car back up. "Ella, I can't tell you how you feel. Only you really know that. But I've heard the way you talk about him, and that's not something to be taken lightly. And really, the truth is, that if this guy really cares for you as much as he apparently does, I think it's something special. But whatever you decide to do about it, just remember, always follow your heart."

"I will." I smiled at her, somehow feeling calmer and happier than I had since Nate and I had kissed. "Thanks."

She smiled at me. "You're welcome. And I'm always here if you need to talk."

"Thanks again." I looked around. "Turn here, this is my street."

We pulled up to my house. I was unbuckling my seatbelt when suddenly, my front door swung open, and Nate stormed down the walkway. He opened my car door and grabbed my hand, pulling me from my seat. "Where were you?"

"I was out." I said, a little surprised at his tone.

"Out?" Nate let go of my hand and rolled his eyes. "I've been worried sick!"

I smiled suddenly, a little amused. "You were?"

"Yes! Of course I was!" Nate noticed me laughing and scowled. "What's so freaking funny?"

"You!" I said, still laughing.

"I've been out searching for you for the past hour and all you can do is laugh?"

I stopped and smiled. "I'm sorry Nate."

He sighed. "Yeah I can tell you're weeping on the inside."

I heard Miss Montez get out of the car. Nate looked over my shoulder and saw her. "What's she doing here?"

I laughed again. "She picked me up."

"Oh..." Nate looked confused, and, I realized, completely adorable.

"Nate," I said slowly, "I want to give you something, but I'm not sure if it will, or even can, mean anything okay?"

He looked more confused. "What? Give me something? For what?"

"For being sweet. And for being... you." I put my hand up to his cheek, leaned forward, and kissed him.

_Zing! _I let myself enjoy it, let myself forget that there was anything outside of that moment, that kiss. For one moment I let myself believe that everything would be alright, that everything would work out.

I pulled away, looked straight into his eyes and whispered, "That one's all for you."

He stared at me, confusion in his eyes, a happy smile on his lips. "Thanks, Ella. I-I won't forget that. Ever."

Just then I heard the front door open and shut as my dad walked down the walkway to the sidewalk. "Ella?" I pulled away from Nate quickly, but it didn't matter. He had stopped cold and was staring at Miss Montez.

"Gabriella?"

_AN: Lot's of emotional stuff in this chapter. I thought it was about time I partially explained why Ella was so closed to the idea of Nate loving her, besides the whole "they're best friends" thing. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please review! New chapter should be coming soon. Anyway, keep reading! Thanks! _


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: Here it is... the chapter you've all been waiting for... CHAPTER 10! Sorry for the kind of long wait, but _I _wasn't even sure what was going to happen in this chapter until I sat down to write it. This chapter has another cliffhanger ending, (haha have to keep you reading, don't I?) but don't worry, a lot gets explained too. I really tried to make this worth your read so I hope you enjoy it! Also, few quick shout outs. To everybody: YOU GUYS BROKE THE REVIEW RECORD! It's official, the last chapter got five reviews, breaking the record! :) I'm actually pretty stoked about that. Sooo can we shoot for six on this chapter? That'd be awesome. Few other quick shout outs to: Endor Solo- Your reviews are great! Thanks so much! bubzchoc- You've reviewed on every single chapter of this story since chapter three! You're amazingly dedicated and pretty awesome too!:D I'm such a grammer freak: You were the first person to review this story. If you're still reading this story, review and let me know cause I'd be crazy excited if you were! And finally to all the rest of the people who ever reviewed: You guys are awesome as well! 3 Check out the AN at the bottom for another special shout out! Enjoy chapter 10! _

Time seemed to freeze for a second as Gabriella and my dad stared at eachother. I held my breath, waiting for what seemed like years before I saw Gabriella's lips move. "Troy..." The word was almost a sigh, and the perfect hopelessness running through it made a shiver race down my spine.

"Dad... Gabriella found me. She brought me home. She was just trying to help, she didn't kno-" I stopped abruptly as I turned to look at my dad's face. The pure pain in his eyes made a lump form in my throat. I struggled to finish my thought. "She didn't know we were related. Really."

My dad looked down, shook his head, looking as if he was coming out of a fog. He turned to stare at me. "How do you know her?"

I hated the harshness in his voice. "She's my-my acting coach."

"Troy." Gabriella moved towards him, but he drew back, looking wary. She stopped, and for the first time I noticed the tears glistening in her eyes and sliding down her cheeks. I felt Nate take my hand. "Troy, I'm sorry. So sorry. I didn't realize-"

"Stop." He looked up at her for the first time since first seeing her, and held her gaze. "There's nothing you can say."

Something flashed in her eyes, not fear or pain or misery but something brighter, more dangerous. She grabbed my dad's arm as he moved to turn away. "Troy Bolton, you listen to me! You may not want to hear what I have to say, but I have _everything _to say. I've spent twenty years of my life building up things to say to you. _Twenty years _Troy! Twenty years of living with a broken heart. Twenty years of wishing I had it all to do over again. Twenty years of guessing what you'd say, what you'd do if you ever laid eyes on me again. Well now I know. You'd run away. Just like you would have twenty years ago if I had told you everything!" She stopped suddenly, the anger gone, the bright light in her eyes fading again. She spoke softly, tears pooling in her eyes once more. "I've loved you for twenty years of you being gone Troy. Don't tell me there's nothing I can say."

"Gabriella, I-" my dad stopped, his face filled with amazement, "You still love me?"

Gabriella sighed, then looked up at my dad, a tiny smile on her lips. "Troy... I never stopped."

"But then why...?" My dad's eyes widened. "What didn't you tell me back then Ella?" I looked up, thinking he was speaking to me, then realized he was still talking to Gabriella. _He named me after her... _I realized, my eyes filling with tears. _He never forgot his first love. _

Gabriella smiled sadly, then reached up and ran her hand through my dad's hair. "I wish I could tell you that Troy. But it's... complicated. I thought I was doing the right thing. Now," she glanced at Nate and I, and her smile reached out to me, "now... I don't know what to think." She stared down at the ground, then back up into my dad's face. "I'm sorry."

She pulled away, and turned to go, but my dad stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm sorry Troy... but I don't know anything anymore. I'm confused and... and.. you were right. There's nothing I can say now."

"No." My dad pulled her back and into his arms. "You were right. And I may not understand a lot of what's going on right now, or what brought you here. But I do know two things for sure." He stared down at her and said, "I still love you too."

I heard Gabriella gasp. "Troy, you don't mean that. It's been so long. We've both changed and... and there are things you don't know."

"I don't care what I don't know. I _do _know I love you Gabriella Montez." He leaned down his head and kissed her. Nate tightened his hold on my hand.

After a minute Gabriella slowly pulled away. Breathlessly she said, "What was the other thing you knew for sure?"

My dad smiled. "That no matter how much you try to pull away, this time, I'm not letting you go without a fight. The fight I should have fought twenty years ago."

"Troy I-" She stopped as he kissed her again.

As they pulled away I heard my dad whisper to her, "Don't overthink it... remember, like kindergarten."

Her smile told me she understood, even if I didn't. She relaxed and laid her head on his shoulder. We all stood like that for awhile, outside of my house in the dark, breathing in the quiet aftermath of the emotional storm we had just been through. Then I heard Nate whisper to me, "You were right. She was your dad's mystery girl." There was a short pause. "And I was wrong. It wasn't a long shot. It was a miracle."

I smiled in the darkness. "I knew."

I could barely see his returned smile. "I know you did."

The sound of a car horn jolted us all back to reality. I turned to see Michael, Aunt Taylor and Uncle Chad stop their car in front of our house. They saw me first.

"Ella!" Michael ran up to me and hugged me fiercly. "We thought you were lost!"

"I was." I smiled. "But I got a little help from a friend."

"What friend?" Uncle Chad hugged me too then peered at my dad. "Troy? Who's...?" I heard him gasp. "Gabriella?"

Gabriella pulled away from my dad, her face shining. "One and the same."

"I-I don't... don't... believe it..." Uncle Chad stammered.

Aunt Taylor stared back and forth between her and my dad. "Are you two... friendly again?" Her voice sounded disbelieving.  
>"Well... yes. I think so." My dad said casually, before pulling her towards him again and whirling her around as he kissed her. He set her back down and grinned. "You could say that."<p>

There was a moment of complete silence. Them Michael's voice broke the silence. "Ummm is there something I'm missing?"

Nate, Gabriella, my dad and I all burst out laughing. My dad grinned again, looking younger than I had ever seen him look before. "Let's all go inside where we can see eachother again and I'll try to fill in all of the blanks. Though," he glanced over at me, "I think I'm missing a few things too." I smiled awkwardly at him.

As everyone walked inside I hung back a little bit, smiling. Tonight.. this day.. life recently had been so filled with every kind of surprise and twist. I couldn't help but wonder how many more were to come. Nate looked back at me. "You coming?"

"Yeah but Nate?" I looked at him, wondering how to say what was on my mind. "About earlier..."

He smiled. "It's okay Ella. You told me. You're not sure if it can even mean anything. But you know what? I don't even know that I care right now. Let's just not worry about it. If it happens... it happens."  
>I nodded and took a deep breath. "Thanks, but that's not what I was going to say."<p>

He raised his eyebrows. "What were you going to say?"

"Well, I was thinking about going to the East High Alumni Reunion Dinner with my dad. I know he said he wasn't sure if he was going but I think he will, you know, now. So I was wondering if maybe you would... want to go with me?" I bit my lip, then hurried on, wanting to fill the awkward silence. "I mean it's fine if you don't want to. I'm pretty sure it's formal so you'd have to get all dressed up and that probably seems really lame to you and besides who wants to hang out with all my parents highschool friends anyway right? But somehow... I mean I guess I thought it would be cool... but uh... yeah... never mind." I blushed and started to hurry up the steps of my porch.

He caught my arm. "I'd love to go."

"Oh." I felt myself start to smile again. "Great!"

"But what about Stephen?"

"What about him?" I said, confused.

"Well, wouldn't you rather go with him?"

I laughed. "No."

He looked surprised. "Are you sure? Cause Ella you really don't have to do this. You don't have to pretend or make me feel better or anything."

I grinned. "Are you trying to talk me out of it?"

"No! I mean uh, no, it's just that, uh..." He paused then laughed. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Hey!" I said, not answering his question. "If you don't want to go, just say so."

He smiled. "I guess I could fit it in to my calendar." He leaned closer to me and I was surprised to feel my knees going weak. _Oh my gosh Ella, how more junior high can you get right now? _I laughed at myself.

"Good." I said simply. "You do that."

I started to walk to the door but he stopped me. "Ella?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm going to do the play."

I smiled at him, even though I wasn't sure if he could see. "I'm glad." I opened the door and walked inside.

Uncle Chad quirked an eyebrow at us as we walked in. "What were you two doing out there on the porch?"

I laughed. "Talking, Uncle Chad. Talking."

"Oh really?" My dad teased. "And is that what you were doing when I first walked outside?"

I blushed. Nate looked embarrassed, then pleased.

Michael laughed. "How did you know that Uncle Troy? From what I just heard it sounded like you walked outside and the first thing you saw was Gabriella."

My dad laughed too. "I think it's a father thing Michael. You become very aware that you have a pretty young daughter around teenage boys sometimes."

Gabriella and Aunt Taylor walked back in the room then, wiping their eyes with Kleenex. "I just can't believe it." Aunt Taylor said, laughing and crying at the same moment. "After all this time, finally coming back home. And still being... you!" She hugged her. "Gabriella, I've missed you so much."

Gabriella hugged back. "I've missed you too Tay. More than you'll ever know."  
>Aunt Taylor sat down, pulling Gabriella down with her too. "I want to know everything! How has your life been?"<p>

Gabriella smiled quietly. "Mostly it's been really good."

"Mostly?" My dad moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Why only mostly?"

"Well... about six years ago I found out I had breast cancer."

I heard my dad gasp, saw his arm tighten around her shoulders, but he said nothing.  
>Aunt Taylor said, "Oh Gabby... that must have been so hard."<p>

She smiled sadly. "It was. But..." she pulled out her car keys and showed everyone a tiny pink ribbon on her key chain. "I'm a survivor. I made it through. It's all gone now, and my doctors say I'm perfectly healthy."

Uncle Chad nodded. "You always were a survivor Gabby."

Gabriella smiled. "It was amazing of course, getting better I mean, but doctor's bills are expensive. I had been out of work for a long time when I was sick and I didn't have much of an income to begin with."

I saw my dad frown over her head at Uncle Chad. Aunt Taylor raised her eyebrows. I glanced at Nate and realized he had picked up on this subtle question in the air, but didn't know what it was anymore than I did.

Gabriella continued, "Anyway, I got into a lot of debt... but I'm working it off, slowly but surely. My insurance covered a little, and that was good. But anyway, I came back to Albequerque to get a new start. I never imagined that you'd still be here." She glanced at my dad. "I thought you'd be off touring the world with the best playing basketball teams by now."

My dad ducked his head. "No... after we- after it ended, I wasn't doing so good on the court. The coach gave me a break because he honestly thought I had potential. But one night my buddies and I..." his eyes flickered to Chad who stared down at the ground, "we got drunk. I was driving and lost control of the wheel. We hit a tree. A couple of the guys were pretty banged up, but I had gotten the worst of the impact. I injured my leg so badly that I had to go through months in the hospital and later in physical therapy. Even after all that it still wasn't as good as it used to be obviously. Not good enough to play professionally anyway."

Gabriella's eyes widened. "Troy... I... I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

My dad smiled. "It's alright. While I was in physical therapy I met a nurse named Helen." He smiled at me. "I married her a year later."

Gabriella nodded. I wondered if she'd feel sad, thinking about my dad with another woman, but her smiled appeared to be genuine.  
>"Anyway, after that, my goals changed. We wanted to have a family. After college I brought her back here. We got this house. We had a beautiful baby girl named Ella." He smiled at me again. "Then after she died I was concentrating hard on raising Ella alone. Parenting's no joke." Gabriella nodded then stopped abruptly. My dad continued, "Anyway I started coaching basketball down at East High. Took my dad's place after he and Mom moved down to Florida for retirement. And since then... life's been good."<p>

Gabriella smiled. "I think raising a daughter to be the person I know Ella is is better than winning a hundred basketball trophies."

Troy smiled at her and then at me. "I think so too."

I grinned. "Yeah, what's having a trophy to having a real live angel in your house?" Michael groaned and I shoved him playfully as the others laughed.

Aunt Taylor brought the conversation back around to Gabriella. "So Gabby, did you ever get married?"

Gabriella smiled. "No, I didn't. I'm afraid I left my heart in someone else's hands."

Dad pulled her close to him. Gabriella took a deep breath. "But, there is something I need to tell you all. Right now, before anything gets more complicated."

"What?" Uncle Chad looked concerned.

"I have a son." She said the rest in a rush. "He's nineteen and his name is Alex."

I jumped even as the room fell completely silent. _A nineteen year old boy named Alex? There's no way..._

I was brought back to the present by my dad's pained voice. "Whose child is he?"

Gabriella took another deep breath and looked my father straight in the eye. "Troy, he's yours."

_AN: Woah. How many of you saw that coming? I hope not everybody cause I tried really really really hard not to even hint that Alex was Gabriella's son (and Troy's!) until this chapter. And that's where the special shout out comes in. Now that the secrets out I'd like to give a shout out to Callie1121 who reviewed on chapter seven and said she had a "hunch" that Alex was Gabriella's son. You were right, good job! :) Thanks for reading! _


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's Note: Hey everybody! Couple quick shout outs: Sophbells: I know I already gave you a shout out in another chapter, but I have to say, your reviews are GREAT! I always smile when I read them. Thanks for the compliment, I try to be a good writer. GuardGirl16: I don't think you've ever reviewed before, so thanks for doing it! I'm glad you picked up on my subtle hints throughout the story that Alex was Troy's son, you're really perceptive! And to everyone: Thanks so much for all the support, I am totally serious when I say I love you guys for doing it, without you guys there wouldn't be a story. Keep reviewing and check out the AN at the bottom for some special information about a BONUS CHAPTER! Enjoy chapter eleven! _

"Dad are you nervous?" I asked, trying to hide my smile.

"Nervous? More like petrified." He answered honestly.

I laughed. "Dad, I promise, it's going to be fine. Alex is a great guy."

My dad smiled at me. "He'd have to be. Gabriella raised him. But... it's still nervewracking. I mean, this is my son. _My son. _I never even knew he existed till yesterday evening. It's almost impossible."

I nodded, remembering Nate's words from last night. "It's a miracle." As my dad stopped pacing and sat down on the couch with a sigh I glanced out the window. Truthfully I was almost as nervous as my dad. _I have a half-brother. A real, live half-brother. And my dad's about to meet him for the first time in just a few minutes. _I shook my head in disbelief. Who would have thought?

I remembered my dad's shocked face after Gabriella had told him Alex was his child as well last night. I remembered the stammered questions, asked by everyone, Gabriella's hesitant answers, her eyes fixed on my dad's face to see how he was taking this gigantic piece of news. Finally she had said, "Troy, I know this is a lot to handle in one night. Maybe... maybe I shouldn't have told you now but I couldn't help it."

My dad had been silent for a minute or two, then he said, "Is this why you left? Because you were going to have Alex?"

Gabriella had bent her head, her cheeks flushing. "Yes. I didn't want you weighed down by having to start a family. We were both so sure your career was going to take off and... and... I didn't want to be the one who held you back. That's why I had to cut myself off from Taylor and Chad too. I knew if they saw me pregnant they would tell you."

My father had gently pulled her head up so he could look in her eyes. "Ella, why didn't you tell me? It would have been a lot to handle, but we could have done it together. Why didn't you believe in me?"

Gabriella had ducked her again, tears forming in her eyes. "I was afraid you wouldn't stay."

My dad had nodded and sighed. "Who knows? Maybe you were completely right to do what you did. We might not ever know. But now... now I want to meet my son. I want to be his father. I need to make up for lost time."

Her head had snapped up. "Troy! Are you serious?"

My dad had smiled. "I am. Completely."

I smiled myself as I remembered both Gabriella's and my dad's startled faces when I told them I thought I knew Alex. Gabriella had asked me to describe him. When I was finished she had nodded. "I can't believe it, that's him! It's incredible, you two already being friendly, and never even knowing you were half-brother and sister!"

The sound of the doorbell brought me out of my thoughts. My dad sprang up, and in two steps was across the room and opening the door. I barely had time to stand up before Alex and Gabriella were in the room.

"Hi!" I said, not sure what else to do.

Gabriella smiled at me. "Hey Ella." She opened her arms and I grinned and gave her a hug. When I let go I glanced nervously at my dad and Alex.

Alex was staring at my dad, his eyes moving over his whole face as if committing every detail to memory. Finally he cleared his throat and stuck out his hand. "Mr. Bolton."

My dad's eyes were misted over as he grabbed Alex's hand and shook it hard. "Call me Troy. It's great to meet you Alex. I can't believe you're here... I've never been so nervous in my life."

Alex laughed, his own eyes looking a little shiny. "I know the feeling."

For a moment they stood that way, still grasping eachother's hands. Then my dad pulled Alex into a firm hug. Alex looked surprised then hugged back, squeezing his eyes shut. When he pulled away he blinked hard. "Sorry, I think I got something in my eyes."

Gabriella moved over and touched his arm. "Why don't we all sit down and we can talk?"

Alex and my dad both nodded. As we walked over to sit down Alex glanced my way uncertainly and I smiled. He looked relieved and smiled back, looking a little more like his usual self.

When we sat down my dad said, "So Alex, Ella tells me you like skateboarding?"

Alex chuckled. "Yeah she should know about that." When both Gabriella and my dad looked confused, Alex continued, "We first met when I ran into her on my skateboard." He looked over at me. "How's the elbow doing."

I grinned. "Better. But we wouldn't have had that problem at all if you would just learn to stay on your side of the sidewalk."

Alex laughed. "Don't you remember? I own that sidewalk." Turning to my dad he continued, "I do like skateboarding. It's my favorite hobby. There's no better feeling than mastering a new move. It's incredible."

My dad smiled. "Do you think maybe some time you could show me your best moves?"

Alex nodded, looking pleased. "But only if you show your moves on the court. My mom says you were really good."

"Well," my dad laughed, "a little less good now, you might not want to get your hopes up." He patted his slightly gimpy leg.

Alex's face turned serious. "Yeah, Mom told me about that too. I'm sorry sir."

Dad looked impressed by his serious tone. "It's alright, but thanks for your concern. I'm happy where I am now. So," he said, moving on to another topic, "what are you majoring in?"

I cringed as I saw Alex's face darken. _Probably should have warned Dad about that... oops. _

"I'm not going to college." Alex said shortly.

My dad looked surprised. "Oh. I'm sorry."

Gabriella said softly, "Alex was working a lot while I was sick and during my recovery just so we could stay afloat. There was no extra money for anything... even college."

"Oh..." Dad looked sad. "I'm sorry, son. Where would you like to go? If you got the chance?"

"Medical school. I want to become a doctor." Alex's face brightened. "Like I said, skateboarding is my favorite hobby, but I guess medicine is my passion. It's my dream to get my degree and then go to Africa or somplace like that to doctor those who normally wouldn't have good care taken of them. I want to go help people who really need it."  
>"Wow. That's a pretty awesome ambition." My dad paused thoughtfully. "Alex, I'd like to help you achieve that dream of yours."<p>

Alex looked suddenly wary. "What do you mean?"

Dad leaned forward. "I'd be honored to put you through medical school."

Alex's face registered complete and total shock. "Mr. Bolton, I mean, uh, Troy, I can't let you do that. You don't even know me. It's too much to even think about, let alone do."

"Oh come on Alex." I smiled eagerly. "We can afford it. And it's your _dream_."

Alex shook his head stubbornly. "I can't let you do that sir. I'm sorry, but I have to do this on my own."

My dad nodded thoughtfully. "I understand. But you're my son Alex. And I can see this is something you really want. And I'm sure you'd excel at it. So how about this, I'll loan you the money and you can pay be back later."

Alex rubbed his forehead. "I can't believe this. Sir, that's a lot of money, are you sure you want to make that kind of commitment?"

Dad smiled. "Does that mean you'd be willing to accept my offer?"

Alex grinned slowly. "Yes, I mean YES thank you!" He stood up and grabbed his hand to shake it.

I looked over at Gabriella and saw a happy smile on her face, but tears in her eyes. "I can't believe this," she said softly, "I've dreamed so long of this moment, and now it's here. We're all together."

My dad pulled her to her feet and gently pecked her on the lips. "Yes we are. And I hope we stay that way for a long long time."

Alex walked over to me. "Hey Ella."

I smiled. "Hey Alex."

He glanced behind him at my dad and Gabriella, who were still in eachother's arms, talking quietly. "Are you okay with," he gestured to them, "all of this."

I reached out and hugged him. "I'm more than okay with it. I always wanted a brother."

Alex smiled. "Even the rude kid who injured you?"

I grinned. "Isn't that kind of the definition of older brothers? A rude guy who injures you?"

Alex laughed. "I hope everything works out."

"Me too." I glanced at my dad and Gabriella who had just now pulled away from eachother. "Alex, do you think they'll ever-"  
>Suddenly the front door swung open with a bang and someone stumbled into our living room.<p>

I gasped as I recognized Sharpay, with Michelle hanging onto her arm, trying desperately to pull her to her feet.

"What the-"

My dad was cut off by Sharpay who stumbled to her feet and smiled at him. "HEEEYYY TROY!"  
>Alex and Gabriella both looked at me. I blinked, completely confused.<p>

Michelle blushed. "Mother don't-"

"Be quiet Shelly." Sharpay rudely pushed her daughter away. "You never want to have any fun."

Michelle tried to catch hold of her again but Sharpay dodged, stumbled over to my dad and threw her arms around his neck. "Troy, baby, I've missed you!"

Gabriella tensed. "Sharpay, what-?"

Sharpay turned to Gabriella and squinted at her. "Oh... it's you again." She glared at her. "Honey, when are you gonna learn?" She pushed her hair out of her eyes with a sloppy gesture and walked towards her. "Troy Bolton is MINE."

Alex lunged towards her just in time to catch her arm before she slapped Gabriella. "What the heck?"

She sighed and wrenched her arm free of Alex's grasp and walked back to my dad. "What?... I'm just fighting for my mannnnnn..."

Michelle's eyes were filled with tears. "Mother. Please."

"Shut up!" Sharpay turned back to my dad, who was hopelessly trying to get her off him. "I love him." With that she pasted her lips on his, in a feverish kiss.

Gabriella gasped. "Alex, we need to go."

Troy jerked away from Sharpay. "What is wrong with you?"

He grabbed Gabriella's arm. "Ella, I have no idea what's going on right now. Please don't leave."

"Let. Go. Of. My. Mother." Alex's voice had knives in it.

My dad stared hopelessly at him then released her arm. Gabriella stared at him for a second, tears filling her eyes. Then she opened the door and walked out without a word.

"Alex!" I called.

He glanced at me. "Just skip it Ella." I winced as the door slammed.

My dad stared at the door, in shock at what had just happened. Then he whirled around. "Sharpay! What was that all about?"

Sharpay smiled flirtly at him. "It's jussst so we c-can be allone babbbby.." Her words slurred together hopelessly.

Michelle swiped at the tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I tried to stop her but- I didn't mean to- I thought..." Dad walked past her as if he didn't hear her. I heard the slam of his study door.

I stood, as if frozen to the ground. Michelle collapsed into an easy chair, sobbing into her hands. Sharpay fell back on the couch.

I glanced back and forth between them, then headed over to Michelle. "Michelle... what's going on?"

"I'll tell ya what's going on!" Sharpay lurched to her feet again. "My husband left me. Sent the divorce papers here today. I'm dead broke and my kids ha-hate me."

"Oh my gosh." I glanced at Michelle. She stared back at me, looking like a shell of the beautiful girl I had seen the other day with Nate.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "She's drunk."

"I know." I stared at Sharpay who had collapsed back on the sofa again.

"She went to the bar right after the papers came." Michelle said, still whispering. "I've seen her drink before, I've seen her drunk before, but she really did herself in this time. She kept telling me that if she drank enough it'd make it go away. But-but, it never does. After she was finished she told me she wanted to come here, to talk to your dad. I shouldn't have let her, but she wouldn't stop. I had to grab the wheel from her a couple of times on the way here just to make sure we didn't wreck."

"Michelle..." I sat down beside her. "How long has this been going on?"

She stared at me. "Years. Since I was just nine years old. That's when her and dad started having marital problems." She closed her eyes and shivered. "Their arguments are... horrible."

"I'm sorry." I said. _I guess the Leveretts aren't as picture perfect as I thought. I can't believe it... I never would have guessed... _

I heard Sharpay mumble something under her breath and looked over to see her face turning green. "Michelle!" I sprang to my feet. "Help me get her to the bathroom!"

_AN: This chapter was probably a surprise to some people, but more is coming soon and all will be explained. (Well, not ALL. But a lot.) I already have the next chapter written so I may or may not post that right after this one or wait a while to see what you guys think. If I haven't posted it and you want me to, let me know and I will ASAP. Now... about the BONUS CHAPTER! At the end of this story (in however many more chapters that will be) I was thinking of posting a bonus chapter. It will be full of some interesting trivia like how I thought of the characters, some parallels between my life and the story, the original plot lines of some of the chapters so you can see how the story was going to look originally, and even the story behind the title of the story. But, in that bonus chapter I was also thinking of posting one or two scenes from the story, written from a different character's perspective. Like, just for instance, how was Nate feeling during his and Ella's first kiss? What did Gabriella think when she found Ella walking around in the dark? **But here's the thing. If I'm going to do that I need some help picking the scenes of the story and which characters perspectives I should write on. That's where you guys come in. When you review just take a little time to put a character and a scene from the story. You can continue to do this as the story goes on, until the last chapter. You can put down one every time you review or a bunch once and then never again. Whatever you want to do. I will pick a few (my limit is seven) of them to write for the bonus chapter based on popularity and which ones sound the most interesting to write. Thanks for your help guys and let me know what you think of this idea and the bonus chapter in general in your reviews! **_


	12. Chapter 12

"I hate modeling." Michelle sighed. I pulled some marshmallow's out of the cupboard to add to the cocoa I was making.

"If you hate it why do you do it?" I said hesitantly, not wanting to upset her.  
>Michelle sighed and studied the table. "My mom wants me too. She says I'm so beautiful, it must be my calling. But you know what? I hate it." She looked up at me as I set her mug full of hot chocolate down in front of her. "I've never admitted that to anyone else. But I do. And you know what I love?"<p>

I shook my head, stirring my cocoa slowly.

"Science." Michelle smiled. "I know it sounds kind of nerdy. Really, it is. But I love it. And I'm good at it. Really good. I already got a scholarship scholarship offer for Columbia University."

"Wow." I smiled. "You must be really smart."

Michelle smiled too, a little sadly. "I hope so. But Mom won't let me accept it. It's the greatest honor I've ever been given, and she won't let me accept it. I told them I needed time, so they don't know I'm not taking it yet. I couldn't do it."

"I'm sorry." I said again, honestly meaning it. "That's really tough."

Michelle nodded and sipped her cocoa before glancing at her mother. She was sprawled out on the couch, asleep where we had left her. Her blonde hair was stringy and her make up was running.

"She wasn't always like this you know." Michelle blinked away tears that had formed in her eyes and looked at me. "She used to be great. When I was little we'd play all the time. We'd dance and dress up and sing and play and laugh together. Stephen and I used to watch movies with her. We'd watch Hercules and the Lion King for him and we'd watch The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast for me." She smiled. "Mom's favorite Disney movie was Sleeping Beauty, so we'd all watch that in our pajamas on her birthday, even though neither Stephen or me really liked it."

"Sounds fun." I smiled at her. "You know Michelle, you're not really the girl I thought you were."

"Yeah I know." Michelle sighed. "I was a jerk to you. But it's hard sometimes. To be the great Sharpay Leverett's daughter and be nice at the same time. Not that that's any excuse."

"I get it. And it's alright." I lowered my eyes to my drink, then raised them again, determined to get the question that was in my head out into the air. "How was your date with Nate?"

Her eyes widened for a minute, then she laughed. "Oh that? He just saw me that day walking around town and came over to ask if I was lost. We started talking about things we were interested in and I told him about my science dreams. When we walked past the restaurant where you and Stephen were he saw you and asked if I'd pretend to be his date to make you jealous."

"Oh..." I said, feeling silly. "So you don't like him?"

"Well.." she blushed, "honestly at first I kinda did. But I saw the way he looks at you. He's all yours."

I laughed. "You know we're really not together right?"

She nodded, serious. "But you probably will be someday."

"You think so?"

"Yeah." She looked towards her mom again and sighed. "Do your think your dad is okay? He's been in his study a long time."

"He's fine." I said, not wanting her to worry. "He'll be alright. I'm sure he and Gabriella will work it out."

"I'm SO sorry about that. I don't know what got into her."

"Alcohol." I clapped a hand over my mouth. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry that was horrible!"

Michelle laughed. "It's okay. I understand."

I laughed, relieved. "Thanks."

Suddenly I heard a knock at the door. "Excuse me a second, I just need to run answer that."

I opened the door and was relieved to see Nate standing there. "Nate! Thank goodness."

He looked concerned. "I got your text. Is everything alright?"

"Well... not really." I let him inside.

His eyes widened. "Why is Sharpay passed out on your couch?"

"Shhh Michelle's in the next room!" I hissed.

"Why is Michelle here? I thought you hated her?" Nate looked hopelessly lost.

"Yeah... a lot of things have changed in the past two hours." I laughed, a little ruefully. "I'm just glad you're here."

He pulled me into a hug. "Me too." I held onto him tight, feeling safe in his arms.

I felt him kiss my cheek gently, then he pulled away reluctantly. I smiled up at him and pecked him quickly on the lips.

He looked surprised then happy. "You know... I'm kind of liking this whole riding in to save the day thing."

I laughed. "I thought you would."

Suddenly I heard a polite cough behind us. I turned to find Michelle standing there, grinning.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

Nate laughed. "Sadly, no."

I rolled my eyes. "Michelle I thought we could use some back up so I texted Nate."

"Cool." Michelle smiled.

"You know..." I said, looking at Sharpay's sleeping form, "eventually when she wakes we're going to have to get her home."

Michelle's smile faded. "I know. And I don't know what to do. I don't think I should bother you Dad anymore and none of us have our licenses."

"Yeah..." Nate said, then continued, "not to be rude, but would either of you girls mind filling me in on just what happened here?"

I glanced at Michelle. "Is that okay?"

Michelle sighed then nodded. "Might as well."

Just then there was a second knock on the door. "Why don't you guys go in the kitchen and talk while I answer the door?" I said.

Michelle and Nate nodded and headed for the kitchen. I turned and opened the door, hoping it was a delivery man and not a neighbor.

"Hi! My name's Zeke Baylor. I'm looking for Troy Bolton? We used to go to school together." The man smiled at me warmly.

I swallowed hard. _Well this is awkward. _"Uhhh, well you found the right place. I'm Ella Bolton, Troy's daughter. But-"

Mr. Baylor cut me off. "I knew it! I recognize you from the photo Troy sent to everyone last Christmas. Your eyes are just the same as his."

"Really? That's so nice of you to say." I smiled, feeling slightly desperate. "Listen, under normal circumstances I'd totally let you in but..."

"But these aren't normal circumstances?" He looked worried. "Is something wrong? Can I help?"

"Well uhh..." I bit my lip. "Alright, maybe you should come in. We may need your drivers license."

"My drivers licen-" He stopped abruptly as he stepped inside and saw Sharpay on the couch. "Sharpay!"

"Yeah..." I gulped. "Um, she had a little, um, moment and she can't drive. We need to get her back home eventually and my dad is, well, busy, and so I thought..."

Mr. Baylor walked over and pushed some of the hair out Sharpay's eyes. He stared down at her for a minute, his mouth open. Then he turned around and stared at me. "She's been drinking?"

"Well, yeah." I shifted awkwardly. "A lot."

Just then Michelle and Nate walked back in the room.  
>Mr. Baylor's jaw dropped once more when he saw Michelle. "Sharpay? But I-I thought-" He glanced back and forth between Sharpay and Michelle, confused.<p>

"Hi, I'm Sharpay's daughter, Michelle." Michelle came forward uncertainly, her hand extended.

"Oh. I see. Well I'm Zeke. Zeke Baylor. I was just offering to, uh, help escort your mother home."

"Zeke Baylor, Zeke Baylor... OH!" Michelle smiled. "I knew you looked familiar. You were my mom's boyfriend in highschool weren't you?"

Mr. Baylor blushed. "I don't know if you'd say boyfriend..."

"That's what she calls you. She says you made crème brule that was to die for." Michelle laughed.

"Well... it is pretty good, if I do say so myself."

Nate smiled. "Hey, I'm Nate, Ella's friend."

"Good to meet you." Mr. Baylor smiled and nodded.

"Well..." I looked down at Sharpay. "Should we do this now, or wait till she wakes up?"

"Might as well do it now." Mr. Baylor carefully lifted Sharpay bridal style in his arms, and carried her out to his car, Michelle, Nate and I following.

"Ella?" He called, stopping at his car. "My keys are in my pocket. Grab them and unlock the car will you?"

"Sure." I grabbed his keys and opened up the doors.  
>He gently laid Sharpay in the back seat and smoothed her hair out her eyes once more. He smiled and shut the door. "She's beautiful. Just the way I remember."<p>

"Thanks, I'll tell her you said that." Michelle smiled at him approvingly.

Mr. Baylor looked startled. "Maybe you better not. I'm not sure your dad would like that."

Michelle dropped her eyes. "I'm pretty sure he won't care. She just signed the papers today. They're officially divorced now."

"Oh. I'm so sorry." Mr. Baylor patted her shoulder. "I'll be keeping your family in my prayers."

"Thanks." Michelle smiled at him.

"Well, we better go." He climbed into his side of the car. As Michelle was about to slide in however, I grabbed her arm.

"Michelle, are you going to be okay with him?" I whispered. "After all, we don't know anything about him."

"Don't worry Ella." Michelle smiled. "My mom told him all about him. She said he was the best boyfriend he ever had. A real gentleman. And plus," she grinned, "I'm a black belt in Tai Kwon Do."

I laughed, releasing her arm. "Okay, I get it. You've got this."

"Yeah, don't let all this pink fool you." Michelle laughed again and then squeezed my hand. "Thanks for all your help today Ella. Maybe we can hang out sometime before I leave?"

I smiled. "Definitely. We should. I'm surrounded my men over here, I need some girl time too."

"Okay." She smiled. "Talk to you guys later okay?"

Nate and I nodded. "Bye!"

As Nate and I walked inside I saw my dad sitting on the couch. I smiled hesitantly at him.

He sighed. "Was that Zeke?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He sat back in relief. "Good, then she's in good hands." He glanced at me then stood up and pulled me into a hug. "Sorry I left you to handle that sweetheart. That was stupid of me. But I just couldn't... think."

"I know." I hugged back, then pulled away. "Dad, it's going to be okay. Just call Gabriella and explain."

He sighed. "I already tried. She's not picking up."

"I'm sure she'll talk to you eventually. Just give her some time to cool down." Nate said.

He laughed. "When did you two become such experts on relationships?"

"I don't know... when we got in one?" I said, without thinking.

Nate froze. "What?"

I gasped. "Uh, I mean, when we became a part of many relationships, whether platonic or romantic, in which we uhhh observe human nature and, uh, live daily within our human realm! Excuse me, I have to, uh, water the flowers." I made a break for it, rushing toward the door.

As I hurriedly stepped outside I heard my dad's puzzled voice saying, "We don't have any flowers..."

I blushed as I hurried down my porch steps. _When we become a part of many relationships, whether plationic or romantic! Live daily within our human realm! Ella what the heck were you thinking? _I thought, feeling like slamming my head up against a wall.

I heard my front door open and close and Nate's voice behind me. "Ella! Wait up! Ella, where are you going?"

I stopped mid-stride. "Ummmm to the grocery store?"

He caught up with me and turned me towards him. "Really Ella? The grocery store?"

I stared down at my feet. "It was the best I could come up with. Don't judge."

Nate laughed. "Hey Ella?"

"What?" I said looking up into his face.

He kissed me softly then pulled back. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

I blushed. My heart was pounding and my head felt light. I could barely breathe. _Are my feet even touching the ground right now? _"Yes." I said quietly.

"Good." He kissed me again.

I pulled away, laughing breathlessly. He laughed with me, then spun me around.

We walked back to the house, holding hands. My dad was waiting for us, shaking his head, but laughing. "It's about time."

I grinned, but behind all my happiness, a single thought was nagging at me. _What am I going to do about Stephen?_

_Author's Note: Sooo the reason that there was no author's note at the beginning of this chapter is that I don't really have much to say this time. Only two people reviewed on the last chapter, so no shout outs. :/ On the upside, NATELLA IS NOW OFFICIAL! Took me long enough, right? Please continue to review, and continue to let me know what you think of the bonus chapter idea. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out the author's note on the bottom of chapter 11). Hope you enjoyed this chapter and more should be coming soon. Thanks for reading! _


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note: Hey everybody! So first things first... SHOUT OUT TIME! First to keyonna13c: Thanks for reviewing for the first time! I always love it when new people review. Tati6181994: Another first time reviewer! Thanks! candycanes18ify: Thanks for the compliment AND for reviewing! Also, again to Callie1121: Actually, the type of chocolate your thinking of is Nutella, but I thought of that too. If you can come up with a better mash up name, feel free to leave a suggestion, I'm not very good with that kind of stuff!:) And finally to EVERYBODY: I can't believe how many reviews this story has gotten. All of you guys are so sweet to take time out of your day to give me some feedback. Forty-one reviews so far! I can't even believe it. Thanks so much! Please continue to review and enjoy chapter thirteen! _

"_This could be the start of something new, It feels so right to be here with you..."_

I smiled as I heard my new ringtone and quickly closed the book I was reading. I grabbed my phone and hit talk.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ella." Nate's voice brought a happy smile to my face. I sat down in my beanbag chair and pulled my feet up under me.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Missing you."

I rolled my eyes. "Nate, you saw me this morning."

"Rehearsing together isn't the same as just talking."

I laughed. "So you didn't enjoy it? I was kind of under the impression you liked rehearsing quite a bit during the kiss scene."

Nate laughed too. "Alright, that part was pretty awesome, but I still missed just hanging out with you." He paused a moment. "What did you think about Gabriella calling in sick?"

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "Well when my dad finally talked to her yesterday, she said she wasn't mad but that she needed some time to think some things over. I don't really know what's going on."

"Everything's going to be okay. I know it is." Nate's reassuring voice brought a smile back to my lips for a minute, but then it faded.

"I hope so." I sighed again. "I can't believe it's only been three days since she and Alex came over. It feels like forever."

"Well the reunion is tomorrow. Maybe they'll work it out there."  
>"Maybe..." I said doubtfully.<p>

"Has Alex contacted you at all?"

"No. But I haven't tried to reach him. I figured he needed time too." I stood up and walked to my closet. I opened the door and fingered the shiny fabric of the formal dress I was planning on wearing tomorrow. "I really hope everything works out."

"I do too. And Ella?" Nate's voice sounded very tender. "You know I'm on your side right? Whatever happens, I'll be right there with you."

"Thanks." I took a deep breath. "Nate I-I, well there's something I've been wanting to tell you."

"Yeah?" He sounded nervous.

"Um, well, I know we've only been official for a few days now, but I've been thinking about it and I wanted to tell you..." Suddenly I glimpsed Gabriella walking up the steps to our house through my window. I jumped up. "Uh, Nate, I'm sorry, but I got to go. Bye!"

"Ella wha-?" I hung up. _It's probably for the best anyway, _I thought as I hurried to the door, _we might not even be ready for that yet. I love you is a big deal. _

I opened the door before she even had a chance to knock. "Gabriella!" I couldn't hide my joy. "Hi!"

Her face looked tired and she smiled sadly. "Hi Ella."

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?" I pulled her inside and led her to the couch but she shook her head.

"I'm fine. I just need to talk to your dad."

"Gabriella?" I turned to see my dad behind us, his face a mixture of emotions.

"Troy." She said quietly. "We need to talk."

I glanced toward my bedroom door. "I'll just leave so you guys can-"

She stopped me. "It's okay Ella. You need to hear this too." She took a deep breath. "Troy, what I came to say is that I can't do this." She held up her hand as he opened his mouth, shocked. "Please hear me out. I don't know what you expected to happen after this. I don't know what _I _expected to happen. But I've realized something over the last couple of days." She clasped her hands, tears shining in her eyes, but her voice strong. "It's been so long Troy. So long since we were in highschool. When I saw Sharpay kiss you-"

"Ella, you know that wasn't me. She was drunk. It was obvious. I gave her absolutely no encouragement." My dad looked almost desperate.

Gabriella stopped him again. "I know Troy. I understand. And I want to apologize for rushing out of here like that. It wasn't right. But like I was going to say, it hurt me. So much." Her eyes dropped to the floor for a minute, then she raised them. "I'm sorry, but I can't be with you. I can't risk having you again, cause if you left, or we were parted again, I-I" She stopped, a single tear snaking it's way down her face. She struggled for a minute to gain control then continued. "I couldn't handle it." My dad opened his mouth again, but she continued quickly. "I know this may not seem to make any sense, but it's just impossible. We're not in highschool anymore Troy. What we had? It's over."

"Gabriella..." He trailed off, his eyes full of tears. I gasped. It was the first time I had seen my dad cry in a long time. "Please..."

She looked at him for a long moment, then turned to me, her eyes full of pain. "Ella, I-"

"Stop!" I hadn't realized till then I was crying. "Don't tell me. You told me you would always be there if I needed to talk."

"I know. And I can be." Gabriella moved towards me, as if she were going to hug me. "Ella, this has nothing to do with you."

I jerked away. "You said you understood." My voice broke, but I kept going. "You told me you understood how it felt to feel alone. Well I don't think you do." I swiped angrily at the tears coming down my cheeks. "I think you understand how it feels to _leave _people alone. That's all you do. You run away, and then tell others they shouldn't. I can't believe you! You told me not to push away the people I love, but what are you doing right now?"

"Ella, I'm sorry!" Gabriella's eyes were full of hurt. "I can't expect you to forgive me, but at least understand I have to go."

"You don't have to." I sighed. "You want too."

"No I-"

"Go! Just go! Run away!" I pulled away when my dad reached for me. "Go!" I ran to my bedroom and slammed the door. I threw myself down on my bed and sobbed into the pillows.

Eventually I heard my bedroom door open and close. Someone sat on my bed and stroked my hair as I cried. Finally I stopped, and rolled over to look at who had been comforting me.

"Don't worry. Just me." Nate pulled me into a sitting position and into his arms.

I partially pulled away. "How did you-?"

"Your dad called me." He pulled me back, but I pushed away again.  
>"I'm a mess!"<p>

Nate pushed some hair out of my eyes. "You look beautiful."

I rolled my eyes even as I smiled. "Liar."

He smiled too. "There's the smile I know and love."

I settled myself back into his arms. "Is my dad okay with you being in here?" I knew my dad wasn't keen on me and any guy I was dating being in my bedroom alone together.

I felt Nate nod. "He was cool with it. I asked."

I sighed and listened to Nate's heart beat for a minute as I lay against his chest. "I feel awful."

"Why?" Nate rubbed my arm gently, in a soothing gesture. "You were hurt. You lashed out. It happens. No one could blame you."

I bit my lip. "I just had all of these dreams in my head. About how they would get married and we could all be a family, and it would almost be like having a new mother." Nate grabbed my hand and squeezed it, but said nothing. "Is that silly?" I asked.

"No it's not. It's beautiful. And you never know, it might still happen."

I pulled away. "You think so?"

He shrugged. "Miracles happen."

I sighed. "I wish there was a way I could help them." I glanced at Nate's concerned face. "Hey, thanks for coming. You were really sweet."

Nate flushed. "It was nothing."

"It was something." I leaned forward and kissed him. "Thank you." _Come on Ella, just say it. You do love him. You know you do._

He smiled. "Ella, I love you."

I gasped. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" He looked confused.

"That's what I was going to say to you earlier. I was just getting my courage up to say it."

He beamed. "So does that mean you love me too?"

I smiled. "Yes. Most definitely." I leaned forward and whispered it in his ear. "I love you Nate."

He smiled and kissed me, then whispered back. "I love you too."

I lay back against his chest and listened to his heart beat. It was faster than the first time. I smiled. Then suddenly I sat bolt upright. "I have a fabulous idea."

He raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"I know how to help my dad get Gabriella back." My smile grew larger. "But I'm going to need your help."

"My help? How?"

I jumped off the bed and ran over to my desk. I moved aside the photos of Nate and pulled out the little red note book I had hidden in there only a week ago. "This!"

He looked confused. "My poems?"

"No, your _songs_!" I grinned. "We could make a song out of one of these and have my dad sing it to Gabriella. We could help him, if he wanted us to." I had another brainstorm. "He could sing it at the reunion dinner!" I glanced at Nate, who looked uncertain. "You don't mind do you?"

"No." He smiled at me. "It's a great plan. It's just neither of us knows how to write music. How can we write a song?"

I paused for a second, then brightened. "Wait here a second!" I ran out of my room and into my dad's study. My dad looked up, surprised.

"Ella!"

"Hey dad!" I smiled at him. "Where's your old yearbook?"

"Uh, right here." He handed it to me. "But why do you need it?"

"Looking for something." I moved toward the door then looked behind me. "Sorry about earlier by the way."

He smiled, still looking a little confused. "It's alright but-"

"Sorry, I got to go show Nate something!"

I ran back to my room, flipping through pages of the yearbook as I went. As I walked in the door I found the right section. "Aha!"

"What is it?" Nate looked interested.

"It's this." I showed him the page that I had turned to. "It's for the musical they did that year. Something called Senior Year." I laughed. "How original." I scanned the page, looking for something in particular. "There!" I pointed triumphantly to a picture at the bottom of the page. It showed a boy and a girl sitting at a piano. The girl was wearing glasses and a hat, and the boy was smiling at her. Nate looked at it.

"Um, so?"

"Read the caption underneath." I pointed to it.

"'Kelsi Nielsen, Musician, Lyricist, and Orchestra Director. Ryan Evans, Choreographer.'" He looked up. "Hey, isn't Ryan Evans Stephen and Michelle's uncle?"

I took a closer look at the picture. "Yeah, it looks like it. But that's not the point. This girl Kelsi wrote all the songs for this musical."

Nate looked confused. "Excuse my ignorance, but why is this a big deal?"

I rolled my eyes. "Hold on a second." I turned to the back of the yearbook and read the message Kelsi had written to my dad.  
><em> Troy- <em>

_It's been a great couple of years. You're an amazing friend, and I'm glad to have known you. You and Gabriella are going to go far and I know you both are headed towards bright futures. Thanks for giving a voice to so many of my songs, it was awesome working with you. Wish me luck at Julliard and stay in touch! _

_-Kelsi _

"Wow." I couldn't believe our good luck. "She went to Julliard. So she must be good. And it looks like her and my dad were pretty close friends. This could actually work."

"Wait, hold on a minute." Nate sat all the way up. "You're not actually suggesting we try to get this Kelsi person to write music to go with my amateur poem? That's crazy!"

I hesitated for a minute. "I know it's a long shot, but it's pretty much our only shot. Let me see if I can find her online. Who knows, she may be coming to the reunion." I opened my lap top and sat back down on my bed. Carefully I typed Kelsi Nielsen into the search bar. "Woah."

"What?" Nate peered at the screen. "Wow. She's pretty famous in her own circles I guess."

"You can say that again." I scrolled through the search results. "She's a well known composer now. And not only does she compose classic musical, she also does arrangements for popular music artists!" I grinned. "This _has _to work."

"But we still don't know if she's even coming to the reunion." Nate interjected.

"Wait, it looks like this page is her Twitter account." I clicked on it and glanced at her latest tweet. "'Heading back to my home town for my highschool reunion tomorrow. Wow, time really does fly!' Oh my gosh! Nate! She's actually coming back!"

"Ella, even if she were willing to do us a favor by writing music for us, do you really think she'd be able to do it in one day? Maybe less?" Nate looked doubtful.

"I don't know." I took a deep breath. "But we're definitely going to find out."

_AN: So what did you think? Leave your opinion in a review! We're coming down into the the home stretch of this story! As far as I can figure it out there's probably about five chapters left, roughly. Already working on the next chapter, so send me some love in your reviews and I'll try to write it and get it posted soon. Getting in the mood to start another story, but I've decided to wait until this one is finished. Speaking of new stories, take a second to answer the poll below. Just put the letter of the answer that most applies to you in your review. I'm not promising to go with the majority, but I will definitely take people's opinions to heart and consider them. _

**_Quick Poll:  
>After this story is over, which you would you rather see from me? <em>**

**_A.) A sequel to this story of course! _**

******_B.) Another Highschool Musical story, but not a sequel to this._**

**_C.) Another fanfiction story, but not based on HSM. _**

**_D.) A sequel to this story, but from another character's point of view and focusing on another family or couple. _**

**_E.) No more stories. One was enough. _**


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's Note: Hey everybody! So this chapter you guys are about to read is the LONGEST chapter I've ever written for this story. (If you haven't been able to tell by my fairly quick updating, I've really been in a writing mood lately.) Just a warning though, since this chapter was longer than I originally planned and covers more, there might be less than five chapters left in this story. Sorry, but like I said, this one is long, so that partially makes up for it. I don't have any particular shout outs this time, just THANK YOU for the reviews and the compliments, you guys are so great. Also, thanks for anybody who participated in the poll, feel free to continue to leave answers if you want too. Anyway, enjoy this chapter! _

"I'm sorry, not to be rude, but who are you again?"

I smiled, trying to sound as polite as possible. "I'm Ella Bolton, Troy Bolton's daughter."

Kelsi Nielsen ran a hand through her brown curls, which were just faintly laced with gray threads. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! Troy has a daughter, how crazy. I really should have kept in touch more, but things got so busy..." Her eyes traveled to Nate. "Who's this?"

"This is.. my boyfriend." I said, stumbling a little over the new phrase, but smiling as I said it. "He's just here to help me ask you a favor."

"Right. And exactly what kind of a favor do you need?" She took a sip of her coffee and sat back in her chair.

"Well, uh, I know this is a lot to ask but.." I trailed off and glanced at Nate. We had searched around online till we had tracked down which hotel Kelsi would be staying at it and had walked here first thing this morning. I had been planning what to say to her since last night, but now, with her in front of me, I felt my tongue getting tied up."

"We know it's a lot to ask but we need you to write music for a song. We have the lyrics already. It's for Troy and Gabriella." Nate said.

Kelsi sat up quickly. "Gabriella? Did she and Troy ever get married?"

"No, and that's why we need the song." Kelsi looked confused.

"Let me fill you in a little." Quickly Nate sketched a shortened version of what had happened in the past week.

"Wow." Kelsi's eyes widened. "A lot has been going on." She furrowed her brow. "Look, I'd really like to help you guys and them, but are you sure your dad is okay with this?"

Nate and I shared a glance. "Well," I said honestly, "he doesn't know what we're planning yet. But I'm pretty sure this is their last chance. We have to do this."

Kelsi bit her lip, then nodded. "Alright, I'm officially on your side." She smiled. "Let me see the lyrics."

Nate flushed as he handed them over. "They're not that good."

"No, they're fantastic." I said loyally. I reached down and grabbed his hand and squeezed it. We had decided to use the poem that I had read when Nate and I had our fight, _Can't Keep My Eyes Off Of You_.

Nate looked gratefully at me and pulled me closer to him. I giggled and kissed his cheek, then blushed as Kelsi grinned at us. "Let me guess," she looked at Nate, "she was your inspiration for this?"

He smiled. "That would be correct."

"Well guys," Kelsi turned her eyes back to the lyrics, "don't break up. These are great lyrics."

"I know." I quickly leaned over and pecked Nate on the lips. "And don't worry. We're not planning on breaking up anytime soon." Nate's smile widened.

"Well," Kelsi smiled, "there's a studio downtown. Why don't we go down there and see what we can do with this?"

I gasped. "Seriously? You'll really do this for us?"

Kelsi nodded. "I'd do anything for Troy and Gabriella. Now let's get going!"

"Are you serious right now?" My dad looked back and forth between me, Nate, and Kelsi, his eyes wide. "You want me to sing to Gabriella in front of my entire highschool class?"

"Yes." Nate answered, a hint of smile flickering around his lips.

"Definitely." I nodded. "And we don't have much time, so we better get started. Here's the lyric sheet and here's the CD of the music. You better start practicing."

"Wait, hold on a second." My dad stood up from where he was sitting on our couch and looked me straight in the eye. "Ella, I'm not a highschooler anymore. This isn't some movie or a nice romantic book. Singing to Gabriella in front of our entire highschool class will probably just embarrass her, not to mention me."

"Dad," I said, no less serious than he was, "you keep saying you're not in highschool anymore. And that's true. But since when did love become something you grow out of once you hit college?" My dad's eyes dropped to the floor but I kept going. "I know it's scary, but I think she'll love it and I don't know if you realize this but this is your _last chance_." I emphasized the last two words. When he still didn't respond I said quietly, "You love her, don't you?"

His head snapped up. "Of course!"

"Then why are you willing to just stand by and watch her waltz right out of your life. You let her go without fighting for her one time. Don't let it happen again Dad."

He raised his eyes to mine and studied my face for a second. Then he turned to Kelsi. "Are you in on this too?"

Kelsi nodded firmly. "One hundred percent, and I agree with everything Ella just said. You and Gabriella are made for eachother. Everyone knew it back in highschool and everyone concerned knows it now too. Don't let this happen Troy. You can do something about this."

"Are we sure she's even coming?" My dad made one last effort to find fault with our plan.

I nodded. "We called Aunt Taylor. She's coming."

My dad paused for a moment, then laughed slowly. "Alright, you convinced me. I'm in. But I still don't know about the singing. I haven't sung in years."

"Ella can sing with you." Nate said.

I froze. "Uh, what?"

"Would you Ella?" My dad looked at me eagerly.

"I-I don't know. I'm not very good. Maybe someone else should do it. You know, someone who doesn't get, um, stage fright."

The light in my dad's eyes died. He sighed. "I'm not sure I can do this alone."

I felt Nate nudge my arm. I glanced at him. He whispered, "You can do this. I know you can. You've got to."

I glanced at my dad and bit my lip. Then I nodded. "Okay. I can sing with you if you want me to. But only if Nate sings too." I glanced at Kelsi. "Will that work with the song?"

"Wellll" Kelsi thought for a minute, "actually it might make it sound even better. But I think to really round out the sound you should have another person singing too. Preferably a girl."

"A girl?" I sighed. "Where am I supposed to find a girl who can sing on such short notice?" Suddenly I remembered something. "Oh my gosh! I actually _do _know someone who could do it!"

"Who?" Nate, Kelsi, and my dad asked.

I grinned. "Michelle Leverett."

I took a deep breath as I walked out to the car where Nate and my dad were waiting. My turquoise dress rustled around me, making me feel elegant and lighter than air. The dress fell to just a little above my knee and the fabric sparkled. It was strapless with a silver belt running around my waist. The skirt fell in ruffles and pleats down to just above my knee. I wore silver hoop earrings and some silver bangle bracelets. I had curled my hair so that it fell around my shoulders in waves and had applied a little more make up than usual. I didn't want to admit it, even to myself, but I was desperately hoping Nate would notice.

I didn't look at his face until I was at the car but when I did I wish I could have seen it from the minute I stepped out the door. He looked shocked, but very, very happy.

"You look beautiful." He cleared his throat. "Stunning. I don't even- you're... amazing." He stuttered to a halt the admiration in his eyes so real and sincere that I felt my cheeks warm.

I smiled, feeling butterflies in my stomach. "Well you're looking pretty handsome yourself."

And he was. Nate in a suit was a very appealing picture. I hadn't told him much about my dress except what color it was and he had been careful to get a tie to match. I smiled.

"Thank you." I grinned when Nate flushed at my compliment. "But you... I can't.." I felt his eyes move up and down my dress and laughed. He blushed again. "Sorry. It's just-"

"I know. And I'm flattered." He leaned forward and kissed me and I returned it with enthusiasm. When we broke apart, he looked almost awestruck. "How did I get so lucky?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I was just thinking the same thing though."

He grinned and opened my car door. "After you milady."

I rolled my eyes. "Wasn't that on a Disney Channel episode?"

He laughed. "What, I can't get my lines from Disney?"

I laughed too. "No, feel free. Sometimes Disney actually comes up with some pretty good lines."

Nate walked around to the other side of the car and slid into the backseat beside me. I leaned forward to get a look at my dad's face. "How you holding up?"

He smiled a little uncertainly. "I'm okay. A little nervous."

I patted his shoulder then sat back. "You'll be fine."

"I hope so." My dad sighed as he turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the curb.

Michelle ran up to us as soon as Nate and I walked in the room. "Hey guys!"

I pulled her into a hug. "Hey Michelle. You ready for tonight?"

She grinned. "More than ready. That song is amazing."

I nodded then glanced around the room. I saw a few familiar faces. Aunt Taylor and Uncle Chad were sitting at a table, drinking punch and laughing with a group of other adults. Michael was standing at one of the refreshment tables, ladling punch into two plastic glasses. Mr. Baylor was standing on one side of the room, laughing with Sharpay. I smiled when I saw that.

Michelle followed my gaze and smiled too. "They really hit it off when they met again. Zeke's great. And I think they might start dating eventually."

My smile grew bigger. "That's awesome!" Just then I saw Michael threading his way through the crowd, holding the glasses of punch.

"Hey everyone." He handed off one of the glasses to Michelle casually and grinned at her. She flushed, but smiled back.

Nate glanced at me and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged and went back to scanning the room. Suddenly, I grabbed Nate's arm. "There she is!"

He looked in the direction I was staring. "Yeah I see." Gabriella sat at a table, surrounded by what appeared to be old friends. I saw Kelsi in the crowd around her and waved. Kelsi smiled at me and waved back.

I took a deep breath and thought of the lyrics to the song we were going to be singing later tonight. _You never know what you're gonna feel. You never see it coming, suddenly its real. Never even crossed my mind that I would ever end up here tonight. _"Nate?" I turned toward him. "Thank you. For writing that poem for me. I don't think I ever told you, but it meant a lot to me."

He turned to me, surprised. "You're welcome."

"No really." For a minute I forgot that Michelle and Michael were standing right there, forgot that we were in a public place. I looked deep into Nate's brown eyes and whispered, "Thank you."

He looked back at me then grabbed my hand. "Guys, we'll be right back. Enjoy yourselves." He winked at Michael who nodded.

"I think we will." Michelle blushed again.

Nate towed me toward one of the open doors. Outside the moon and stars were already shining bright. The foliage and trees around the school made it seem like a garden. I smiled happily. It was a truly romantic setting.

Nate pulled me toward him and kissed me, a little bit slower than usual, but gently. I savored the moment, then broke away and leaned against him. "I love you."

"I love you too." Nate cradled me in his arms for a few seconds longer before I felt him tense. "Uh oh, looks like we're not the only ones who had this idea."

I turned and glanced behind us to find another couple only a few yards away. They were engaged in what could only be called a full throttle make out session. "Ew." I said, somewhat put off by their PDA, even if they had no way of knowing it _was _public.

"Yeah..." Nate watched for a second longer, looking a little grossed out himself, then said quietly, "Why don't we just sneak back in while they're, uh, busy?"

"Good plan." I moved toward the door but then abruptly stopped and gasped. For a minute the couple broke apart as if for air and I got a good look at the guys face. It was Stephen.

Nate felt me tense. "What's wrong?"

"Its, uh, Stephen."

"Who?" Nate asked.

"Well, if it isn't my good friends Ella and Nate." I cringed as Nate strolled toward us, his arm slung casually around the shoulders of the redhead who was still half trying to suck his face off.

"Hey Stephen." I gripped Nate's arm before he could say anything. "Who's your friend?"

Stephen laughed, sounding a little slurred. For one instant he reminded me a lot of Sharpay when she was drunk. "This is my beautiful girlfriend, Candice."

Candice stopped trying to get Stephens attention back solely on her long enough to say, "Hey."

I glanced at her. She was wearing a revealing purple dress that looked more like a strip of fabric than a dress. My stomach turned.

"Well she must be your _new _girlfriend then." I heard the danger in Nate's voice and glanced up at him, but his eyes were fixed on Stephen.

Stephen laughed harshly. "Yeah, right. She ain't new, we've been together for what? Like six months baby?"

Candice didn't respond. She was busily trying to eat Stephens ear. Or at least, that's what it looked like to me.

"Six months?" Nate took a threatening step forward. "What were you doing asking Ella out then?"

Candice abruptly stopped. "Excuse me?"

"Hey baby I know we've got a good thing going on, but look at this Ella chick. She's a babe. And like I always say, use 'em or lose 'em." He glanced over me, a sick grin coming over his face. "And I don't believe I'm quite done with using this one." He stumbled over to me and grinned. "Whatdaya say baby? You and me? Together? Alone?" He reached for my arm and pulled me closer to him. I shrank back, my voice dying in my throat. Stephens breath was hot and smelled of booze as he leaned closer and said. "Come on baby!"

Nate pulled him away from me. "Get. Away. From. Her." His voice sounded as if he were gritting his teeth.

"Who's going to make me?" Stephens face darkened as he reached for me, but Nate pushed him back again.

"I'm warning you. You dare even _try _to touch her again, and you will regret it."

Stephen paused a moment and studied Nate's face, then reached over as if to grab my arm again. Nate reacted quickly, punching Stephen right in the mouth. Stephen flew backwards, landing hard on the ground.

Candice screamed. "Baby! Stevie are you okay?"

Stephen stumbled back to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth and muttering under his breath. He shook Candice off as if he didn't notice her and lunged toward Nate. Nate dodged quickly but got clipped on the jaw and staggered backwards. Stephen leapt forwards to deliver another blow, when out of nowhere someone tackled him to the ground.

I grabbed Nate's arm to steady him, then glanced down at the guy who was slowly rising to his feet, pulling the furious but defeated Stephen with him. I gasped. "Alex?"

Alex grinned at me. "Yeah, yeah, I know it's hard to believe, but sometimes I knock over other people besides you."

I laughed, relieved and happy. "And thank you for doing it!"

Just then Sharpay, Zeke, Uncle Chad, and Aunt Taylor all rushed outside. "What is going on here?"

I stepped back and let Nate and Alex explain. Apparently Alex had been watching from inside and had seen the whole thing. When he saw Stephen hit Nate, he had run out to help. As the story was told, Stephens morale seemed to deflate. He sagged lower so that Alex was practically holding him up.

I glanced at Sharpay and noticed her eyes were full of tears as she stared at her son. Zeke saw them too and protectively put his arm around her.

"Stephen, I can't believe this. Why did you do it?" Sharpay sighed.

Stephen shook his head groggily. "I don't know. Candice she had a fake ID on her and that she could get almost anyplace to sell her booze. I wanted to try some, so we brought some here. I guess... I guess I had a little too much." His head sank even lower as he threw up.

"I'm so sorry Ella." Sharpay turned to me and touched my arm. "Things have been... difficult for my family. I had no idea Stephen was cheating on Candice or that Candice had a fake ID. I'm so sorry. This is my fault. I should have been more careful with my children."

Aunt Taylor put her hand on her shoulder. "Parenting is a tough job. We all make mistakes sometimes. The important part is getting back on our feet again."

Sharpay nodded and wiped the tears away from her misty eyes. "I think with a little time, I'll be able to do that." She glanced at Zeke, who smiled encouragingly at her. "Alex, I'll take Stephen now." She gently pulled Stephen close to her, and let her lean against her. "Zeke, can you take care of Candice? I think she could use a little sobering up too."

I smiled at Sharpay then glanced at the rest of them. "You know, she's not so bad when you get to know her."

"Yes, I think the Leveretts just may be on the road to recovery. It's going to be a hard journey though." Aunt Taylor smiled at Nate and Alex. "Thank you boys for your help."

"Not a big deal." Alex smiled back. "Well I better go back and join my mom again. She'll be wondering where I am." He glanced at me. "And Ella, I just want you to know, no matter what happens with my mom and your dad, you'll always be my sister."

I smiled and grabbed him into a hug. "Thanks Alex. And remember, no matter what happens, he's OUR dad now."

Alex nodded quietly. "I guess." Then he turned and walked away. The rest of them turned to go as well. Nate was going to follow as well, but I pulled him back towards me.

"Are you okay?" I reached up and gently touched the spot on his jaw that Stephen had hit. He winced.

"I think I'm okay. Are you okay?" He looked me up and down, genuinely concerned. I laughed, mostly from relief.

"Yes! And just so you know, that is the stupidest thing I've ever seen _anyone _do."

Nate flushed. "I'm sorry, but he was going to hurt you."

I put a finger to his lips. "You didn't let me finish. It's also the bravest and most amazing thing I've ever seen anyone do. I'll never forget it. Thank you." I kissed him quickly.

He smiled. "You're welcome."

I laughed. "Now let's go inside before anything else happens."

"Yeah, it'll be time for us to sing before we know it."

Nate grabbed my hand and we walked back into the room, full of my dad's old highschool friends, not to mention my own. I smiled. _I have a feeling this is going to be a night to remember. _

_AN: Soo much drama! Also, sooo much Natella fluff! :D I know this chapter had a lot of sections to it, so I hope all of those were clear. If you liked it, review! Thanks for reading! _


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: Hey guys! First things first, I know it's been awhile since I posted last, and I'm sorry about that. I decided to wait awhile before posting my next chapter and then I just got busy and it was hard to find time to write. But here it is, the last official "chapter" of this story (other than the epilogue). Hope you guys enjoy it! Couple quick shout outs: first, to EVERYBODY who liked this story, thank you so much for being patient and to the ones who stuck through all the way to the end, THANKS! To all the new people who review, you are so amazing! Thanks so much for doing it! Anyway enjoy chapter 15!_

As we walked back into the room, Michelle and Michael walked up to us. Michelle laughed, "Took you long enough. What happened to you guys out there?"

"Ummm" I glanced at Nate.

He sighed. "We had a little run in with your brother."

"Stephen?" Her brow furrowed. I saw her glance at Nate's jaw, where a bruise was already forming. Her smile faded. "Oh, you guys I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." I said, smiling at her. "And don't worry, it had nothing to do with you."

Michelle returned my smile hesitantly. "Alright if you're sure."

"Definitely." I smiled at her and Michael. "So, did you guys have fun while we were gone?"

Michael grinned at me as Michelle giggled. "Yeah, we did."

"Uh Ella?" Nate cut in, "I think we should go talk to your dad..."

"Why?" I looked over to see my dad staring down into his punch. His face was pale and it almost looked like he was going to be sick. "Oh... yeah, maybe we should. Be right back guys."

My dad looked up when we came over and smiled weakly. "Hey guys."

Nate grinned at him. "You doing okay over here? Ready for your big moment in the spotlight?"

"Yeah... totally ready." He ran a hand through his hair and shifted to loosen his tie. "Or, you know, feeling like I'm going to have a heart attack. Whatever."

I laughed, then leaned down to give him a hug. "It's going to be fine Dad. Nate, Michelle and I will be up there with you. And no matter what happens, everything's going to be fine, I promise."

He glanced at me, his eyes skeptical. "How do you know?"

I grabbed his hand and said seriously, "Because you and Gabriella were made for eachother."

He sat quietly for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. She's everything to me. I can't let her go."

"Then lets do this." Nate reached down and grabbed my other hand as he spoke. I felt my heart leap a little bit. With everything else going on I had forgotten my own stage fright for a moment. I shivered.

Nate whispered to me. "It's going to be fine. I've got your back up there."

I nodded and took a deep breath. There was no going back now.

"We'll make sure everything's set up with the music and everything. Why don't you go backstage and do some last minute prep?" I said to my dad, nodding toward the makeshift stage that had been set up just for the reunion.  
>"Actually," a voice behind me said, "we're all set up." I turned to see Kelsi and a teenage girl smiling at us. Kelsi continued, "This is my niece Valeria. She lives just down the street, so I recruited her to make sure that everything went perfect with our surprise performance tonight."<p>

Valeria smiled at my dad. "This is _so _romantic what you're doing Mr. Bolton. If I were Miss Montez, I would melt."

My dad smiled, starting to look a little more at ease. "Well, lets hope that's her reaction. And thanks for running everything for us."

"My pleasure." Valeria nodded to the speakers at the side of the stage, "I better go ahead and put in the CD."

"I'll get Michelle." I started to move away, but realized Michelle was walking towards us with Michael a few steps behind.  
>She smiled. "Are we ready?"<p>

"Almost." I took a deep breath. "Kelsi, I think you're on."

"Great. I know you guys are going to do awesome." Smiling, she climbed up the few steps to the stage and stood at the microphone. "Hello everybody! As most of you know, I'm Kelsi Nielsen."

I heard Ryan cheering and glanced at him. He was staring at Kelsi, grinning. I raised my eyebrows and was about to ask Nate if he knew if they had ever been a thing when I realized everybody was already walking to the stage. Nate took my hand again. "Are you ready?"

I bit my lip, then looked over at Gabriella and Alex. Then I looked into Nate's eyes and felt some of my nerves disappear. "Ready."

Kelsi continued. "We have a special performance from Troy Bolton and some of the current East High students. It is meant for someone who was, and is, very special to Troy, and now even to his daughter, Ella." I glanced at Gabriella and saw her stiffen. My stomach turned into a mass of butterflies. _What if she hates the song? What if she hates my dad for singing it to her? What if this whole thing blows up in our faces? What if.. what if... _I looked over at my dad. He looked more scared than I'd ever see him look in his life. My stomach dropped. Kelsi finished, "We hope you'll enjoy this song, written by Nate Reynolds, called _I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You_!"

As applause rang though the room, all of us climbed onstage. I glanced at all the people staring at us and started to feel lightheaded. I glanced at Gabriella. She was looking straight at me, and suddenly she smiled at me and nodded. Suddenly I felt brave again. I motioned to Valeria, and the music began to play. My dad started to sing, with his eyes locked on Gabriella, as if he were oblivious to the rest of the world.

_You never know what you're gonna feel, _

_You never see it coming, _

_Suddenly it's real, _

Michelle smiled at the audience, perfectly at ease, and began to sing.

_Never even crossed my mind, no, _

_That I would ever end up here tonight._

I took a deep breath and smiled at Nate, who grinned back at me as we started to sing.

_All things change, _

_When we don't expect them to, _

_No one knows,  
>What the future's gonna do, <em>

_I never noticed that you'd been there all along, _

Nate slid over to me and kissed my hand as we all started to sing the chorus.

_I can't take my eyes off of you, _

_I know you feel the same way too, _

_I can't take my eyes off of you, _

_All it took,  
>Was one look,<br>For a dream come true. _

Michelle started to sing again.

_Yeah we got a good thing going on. _

I glanced at Gabriella and Alex and sang.

_Right here is right where we belong. _

My dad glanced at me then back to Gabriella.

_You never really know what you might find, _

_Gabriella all I see is you and I, _

_You're everything I never knew,  
>That I'd be looking for, <em>

I had to hold back a gasp. Her name in the song had not been planned. Michelle and Nate both looked a little confused. I wanted to look at Gabriella to see her reaction, but I was too afraid. We all sang the chorus again, then it was Nate's part again.

_Can't take my eyes off of you, _

_Oh, oh, oh yeah, _

_So let the music play, _

_Can't take my eyes off of you, _

_Yeah the feeling's getting stronger, _

_And I never ever felt this way, _

It was my part next, but suddenly I shook my head and nodded to my dad. He stared at me for a minute then jumped off the stage. He walked over to Gabriella, took her hand and kept singing.

_Alright I see everything, _

_In your eyes... _

_Alright, something's happening, _

_Cause everyone's aroud but, _

_You're the only one I see._

Gabriella's face was streaked with tears, but her smile was glowing. I motioned to Nate and Michelle and we sang softly as my dad continued.

_I can't take my eyes off of you, _

_Feelings like I never knew, _

_I can't take my eyes off of you, _

_From the start, _

_Got my heart, _

_Yeah you do, _

_I can't take my eyes off of you... _

After the music ended, the room was totally silent. All eyes were fixed on my dad and Gabriella. My dad spoke, loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Gabriella Montez, I love you. I've loved you since we were in highschool. I'm never going to stop. Nothing can part us, nothing can separate us, because we," he glanced back at me and smiled, then continued, "are made for eachother. We're soul mates. I know, after tonight you may be so embarrassed you'll never want to talk to me again, but I told you I wasn't going to let you go without a fight, and I meant it. I love you. Please, please, please, trust me. I'll do my best never to let you down."

I held my breath. Gabriella said nothing. My dad just waited, holding her hand patiently. I felt Nate pull me close to him, but my eyes refused to move from Gabriella. The next three seconds felt like years.

"Troy, how could I be embarrassed? I love you. And I believe you. I thought maybe time had changed us so much that it couldn't be simple anymore that it couldn't be..."

My dad pulled her up and into his arms. "Like kindergarten?"

She nodded, staring into his eyes as she ran her fingers along his cheek. "But that song was the most beautiful gift you ever could have given me. I'll never forget it... and... I want you to know, no matter what happens, no matter if we're in the same room, or just living on the same planet... I'm yours. Forever." My dad didn't wait to hear anymore. He kissed her, all the passion of wasted years going into that one kiss.

I felt tears filling my eyes as cheers erupted throughout the room. I whispered, "I don't believe it."

Nate leaned close to whisper to me. "Believe it. It's a real, live miracle."

I nodded, the tears beginning to spill out of my eyes and on to my cheeks. "After all this time! If it wasn't true nobody would believe it..."

Nate turned me around to face him and gently wiped my tears away with his thumb. "Hey, hey, hey, why the tears?"

I glanced at Gabriella and my dad, now surrounded by old friends, but with eyes only for eachother. "Happy tears."

Nate nodded then gently tilted my head up and captured my lips with his own. As we pulled apart he whispered to me, "And they lived happily ever after."

I looked over at Gabriella's happy face. My dad was grinning so wide it looked like his face was going to split open. Alex was hugging Gabriella and laughing. Sharpay was crying, and Zeke was standing at her side, holding her hand. Kelsi and Ryan were laughing and hugging in the middle of the room, and Michelle was jumping up and down while Michael clapped my dad on the shoulder. Uncle Chad was cheering louder than anybody else and Aunt Taylor was bawling her eyes out. I smiled, happier than I remembered being in a long time. "Happily, happily, happily ever after."

_AN: Sooo what did you guys think? I hope it lived up to your expectations. Check out the epilogue for the final ending and the last couple of author's notes for this story! Thanks for reading! _


	16. Epilogue

_Author's Note: Oh my gosh... I can't believe it. This is the very last chapter! Just want to say thanks to everybody who ever reviewed or read this story you guys are great. Thanks in particular to: Sophbells, bubzchoc, Endor Solo, and Callie1121, just to name a few. You guys are all so great. Just to be clear about something, I will NOT be doing a bonus chapter. Hope you enjoyed this story! Enjoy the epilogue! _

I took a deep breath, butterflies dancing in my stomach, but a big smile on my face. Tonight was the night. "You ready for this Cinderella?" Prince Charming (otherwise known as Nate) grinned at me.

"More than ready." I plucked at the skirt of my costume. "How do I look in my servants outfit?"

"Beautiful as ever." He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes at him, then grinned. "I guess that's a good answer." I hopped from one foot from the other, nervous excitement coursing through me.

"Woah, excited much?" Nate smiled at me.

"YES!" I grinned even as I remembered my dad saying that to me six months ago, the day when I had gone to drama practice only to step smack dab into the beginning of my fairytale.. The memory made me smile.

"Places everybody!" Kelly hissed. Valeria, who had offered to help backstage, nodded to me. I took every ounce of courage I had and walked onstage. The curtains flew open, and the spotlight fell on me. I glanced out into the crowd as the scene began, searching for my family. My heart warmed as I saw them. _They're all here, everyody that matters the most to me. Who would have thought my life would change so much in such a short time? _I barely had time to think about it though, because I had lines...

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" I smiled at the people who had come to congratulate me or tell me I did a good job. I glanced at Nate who winked at me as he signed a young girls play program. She giggled and said, "Thank you Prince Charming!" she glanced back and forth between Nate and I and said, "Is she your real life Cinderella?"

Nate didn't hesitate. "Definitely. But she's also my best friend."

"Wow." The little girl looked impressed. "That's just like a fairy tale."

"Yes," I took Nate's hand, "it is."

As the little girl and her mother moved on and the line of audience members began to dwindle, I glanced over at my friends and family who were patiently waiting for Nate and I.

There was Alex, his arm casually slung around his new girlfriend Sophia. After a _ton _of badgering from me, he had finally gotten up the nerve to ask her out, and they had been official in no time. He saw me looking at him and grinned at me. I smiled before looking over at Gabriella and my dad. Gabriella was comfortably nestled in my dad's arm, a happy smile on her face. The diamond in her engagement ring glittered as the light caught it. Three months ago my dad had proposed, after taking her up to East High's rooftop garden "for old times sake". I still remembered the excited phone call I had gotten from him. "SHE SAID YES!" I laughed aloud. He had sounded so young, so incredulous, as if he had been half expecting her to say no.

I glanced at Michelle, who was talking with Michael. They had been dating for about two months now, a long distance relationship that was difficult to maintain, but they managed it somehow. She had come back into town just for my play, and, of course, to see Michael. Meanwhile, Stephen stayed at home with his mother AND Zeke, who had surprisingly, popped the question before my dad did and had married Sharpay just four months after seeing her again for the first time.

Meanwhile Aunt Taylor and Uncle Chad had made a surprising announcement. My eyes rested on the bulge in Aunt Taylor's stomach and remembered Micheal's shocked reaction. He had practically fainted, but by now, we were all over our shock and eagerly awaiting the arrival of little Leah Elizabeth Danforth.

"It's kind of amazing isn't it." Nate took my hand. "That we're all here... together."

"Yes, it is." I smiled. "And it will never stop being amazing."

"Never." Nate laughed. "You know, with the wedding coming up, and the baby coming, there's not going to be a dull moment around here."

"And thank goodness for that." I rolled my eyes. "After all this crazy stuff happening, I couldn't re-adapt to normal life."

"Well then, let the craziness continue." Nate hesitated. "I have something for you."

"Really?" I turned to him. "What?"

"This." He handed me a jewelry box. I opened it slowly, then gasped as a beautiful bracelet of blue stones came into view.

"Nate! Are those... sapphires?"  
>"The middle ones are." He smiled. "I couldn't afford the bracelet entirely made of sapphires."<p>

"Ummm how could you afford _this_?" I gaped at the beautiful simplicity of the design.

"I've been saving up for something special. And it was completely worth it to see that look on your face." He gently stroked my cheek then said, "Just consider it a late sixteenth birthday present."

I smiled. "Nate... this is beautiful. You're amazing, thank you." I leaned in and kissed him.

"Hey! Whenever you're done with your perfect rom-com moment, can we go? I'm starved!" Michael interrupted us.

I grinned as we pulled apart. "I think we're being paged."

"Yep. But first," Nate took the bracelet out and slid it on my wrist, "never forget. Every time you look at this bracelet, you have to remember how much I love you. It's a rule."

I laughed at his serious tone. "Yes sir!"

He grinned. "Alright then, as long as you know the rules, let's go."

As we walked back to our friends and family and Gabriella and my dad pulled me into my hug, I felt my heart swell, as if bursting with happiness. Surrounded by all the people I loved, I knew for sure something I had never really known until that moment. Happily ever after isn't something they just print at the end of fairytales. Sometimes, it can be real. Even for regular, ordinary people like me, Ella Bolton, a sixteen year old girl who found her prince charming, her fairy godmother, and best friends, in the last place she expected to. Right in front of her nose.

**_And they all lived happily ever after,_**

**_The end._**

_AN: That's it! Hope you liked it! I just want to say, I had so much fun writing this story, thanks for all the support. I'm not sure what I'll be doing next. I may do a sequel to this story, or I may start on something totally new in a different category. I really don't have much of clue. But I hope you'll keep up with my stories, if you liked this one. Thanks for reading till the end, I love you guys for doing it! :) I hope each and every one of you finds your happily ever after! -bookwormatheart _


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